Considering he was one of America’s finest contemporary writers, it should be no surprise that many of Cormac McCarthy‘s works have been translated onto the big screen. In some cases, people have been working for decades on making his novels into a film — such is his unique style and grip on literary and artistic culture in the States. But what famous films were adapted from his works? Did he write any films himself? And, most importantly, are these adaptations of McCarthy’s writings worth watching at all? Here are all the movies based on Cormac McCarthy’s works.
All the Pretty Horses (2000)
Billy Bob Thornton directed this adaptation of McCarthy’s 1992 novel of the same name. The film chronicles the tale of John Grady Cole, a cowboy from Texas who is making his way down to Mexico in an attempt to find work, but instead endures heartbreak, imprisonment, and loss. The book has an epic feel to it, and like much of McCarthy’s work, infuses violence with more deep, philosophical notions, all while giving us an engaging narrative that makes readers want to turn the page. The only question is, does the movie live up to all of that?
To put it bluntly, this is not a great adaptation. Despite the book it was based on winning several notable writing awards and a stellar cast that includes Matt Damon, Penelope Cruz, and Sam Shepard, it’s a real slog to get through and doesn’t manage to translate McCarthy’s weaving plot onto the big screen at all. The acting is also surprisingly wooden, although, again, this isn’t helped by the confusing script or Thornton’s directing. If you liked the book, you might just about be able to enjoy parts of the film — otherwise, it’s probably best to give this one a miss.
No Country for Old Men (2007)
If All the Pretty Horses was a woeful adaptation of a great novel, this Coen brothers big screen translation of McCarthy’s 2005 book is the opposite. While No Country for Old Men divided opinion as a novel, it’s widely (and rightfully) considered to be the best adaptation of a McCarthy work by quite some distance. This may stem from the fact that the author originally wrote the book as a screenplay, so it easily lent itself to being filmed. With that said, there’s no doubt the Coen brothers’ magic touch elevated already great source material into something astounding.
The movie stars Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin, and each of them is phenomenal in their roles, although Bardem is particularly memorable as the monstrous hitman Anton Chigurh. Woody Harrelson also puts in a fine performance as a bounty hunter. No Country for Old Men follows Llewelyn Moss (Brolin), a Vietnam vet who finds a huge sum of cash hidden in the desert. He attempts to abscond with it but is followed by the relentless Chigurh, who leaves a trail of destruction in his wake. Jones plays Ed Tom Bell, a local sheriff who starts investigating all the crimes being committed in his jurisdiction. No Country for Old Men deals with the heaviest of themes, from destiny and fate to the role of violence in shaping our lives, and despite its mammoth runtime, it’s impossible to turn away from. There’s a reason it’s so acclaimed and was on countless top-10 lists for the year. A visual and storytelling masterpiece.
The Road (2009)
McCarthy’s 2005 novel The Road is one of two of his books that literary critics widely consider to be his best, alongside the iconic and ultraviolent Blood Meridian. There’s the usual dose of nihilism in there, but this portrait of a man and his son trying to make it through a dangerous and violent post-apocalyptic world is touching and tender in parts, especially its heart-wrenching ending.
While the film doesn’t quite reach the heights of the novel, it’s still a brilliant watch. Viggo Mortensen and Kodi McPhee are excellent as the man and the boy, managing to wring every last bit of emotion out of a sparse script. Whether we’re seeing them traverse through hairy situations, or delighting in one of the few joyous moments in the plot, both are utterly compelling. Most importantly, the tension that the book builds is expertly crafted in the film, too, and like the boy and the man, you’re always a little on edge. A powerful, heartbreaking story that almost lives up to the exceptional novel it’s based on.
The Sunset Limited (2011)
This 2011 television film was actually based on a 2006 play by McCarthy of the same name, as opposed to one of his novels, although when the print version of The Sunset Limited was released, it was with the subtitle “a novel in dramatic form.” Many felt the stage production was too dense with text, but the film managed to harness that rich dialogue and utilize it in a way that elevated the rest of the script.
The movie version stars Samuel L. Jackson as Black, an upbeat, optimistic Christian, and Tommy Lee Jones as White, a nihilistic, negative, and suicidal man. The film chronicles Black’s attempts to stop White from taking his own life and delves into all sorts of existential questions about faith, destiny, and the very nature of the universe. An ambitious piece that might have failed miserably were it not for its two ultra-talented leads, The Sunset Limited manages to do what films like My Dinner with Andre and The Man From Earth do so well, and turn a dialogue-heavy script all set in one space into a compelling visual spectacle. A dark story, yes, but some truly bright acting makes it impossible to turn this off.
Child of God (2013)
Child of God was McCarthy’s third novel, and in this 1993 book, you can see much of the bones of his writing and life philosophy. His lack of punctuation and almost erratic switching between writing styles is a little less refined than it is in his true masterpiece, Blood Meridian, but this early book still makes for an intriguing read. Child of God also shows off his propensity to use violence and isolation as a way to explore the human condition, and after reading it, you can really understand much of how his future work was formed.
The film adaptation of the novel was written and directed by James Franco, and like the book, follows the life of Lester Ballard, a poverty-stricken, violent man who’s made homeless. The title of the novel and film comes from an early description of the unlovable character, whom McCarthy describes as “a child of God much like yourself perhaps.” Despite this hint of salvation, we see Lester fall into an increasingly violent, isolated, and harmful life, before his eventual demise. A bleak book that does not translate well to the big screen, Child of God is definitely worth reading, but not watching.
The Counsellor (2013)
This entry is a bit different as The Counsellor was written as a script by McCarthy, instead of being adapted from one of his books. It’s a crime thriller and was directed by Ridley Scott, so the signs were looking great when it was first released a decade ago. The Counsellor follows a high-powered lawyer known only as “the Counsellor” (Michael Fassbender) as he accidentally gets himself involved in a drug-inspired conflict between powerful Mexican cartels, all just days before he’s due to be married. The plot, predictably, spirals from there, with plenty of violence and tension to endure.
Sadly, even a standout cast (Brad Pitt, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem, and Natalie Dormer all appear alongside Fassbender) can’t stop this movie from being somewhat clumsy and prosaic, with the focus on dialogue that made The Sunset Limited so unique turning this film into something a little more dull and uninspired. With that said, there are plenty of high points, and it’s a bold attempt at something slightly different, so if you often find yourself disagreeing with critics, you might just find The Counsellor to be an underrated watch.