Stories from the set

The film contains numerous anachronisms: although the film is set in 1980, Llewellyn Moss (Josh Brolin) picks up a Heckler & Koch SP89 pistol, released in 1989, at the site of the drug dealers' meeting. Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is armed with an Intratec TEC-9 submachine gun, released in 1985, as well as a Remington 11-87 shotgun, released after 1987. He also fires a Glock pistol, which appeared in 1983. One of the Mexicans in the hotel fires a Cobray M11/9 submachine gun, released in 1983.

The film is based on Cormac McCarthy's novel No Country for Old Men (2005).

The film's title is taken from the first line of William Butler Yeats's poem "Sailing to Byzantium".

The hairstyle of the killer Anton Chigurh was taken from a photograph of a brothel visitor taken in 1979. After this hairstyle was brought to life, Javier Bardem exclaimed, looking at himself in the mirror: "Oh no, now I've gone two months without sex!"

The producers negotiated with Heath Ledger for the role of Llewelyn Moss, but he ultimately declined to participate in the film.

The Coen brothers turned down Josh Brolin's audition for the film. So Josh asked Robert Rodriguez to help him record an audition for the role. Josh's audition was filmed on a camera worth $950,000, with Robert Rodriguez behind the camera and Quentin Tarantino directing the shoot.

The film has no original soundtrack. Music written for the film plays only during the end credits.

Joel and Ethan Coen not only served as producers, screenwriters, and directors of the film, but also edited it themselves. However, the credits list their shared pseudonym — Roderick Jaynes.

The Coens like to reference one of their favorite directors, Stanley Kubrick. For example, a motel room with the number 114 appears in the film; this number also appeared repeatedly in Kubrick's films.

The shooting period was from May 23 to August 16, 2006.