Film Analysis: No Country For Old Men

Whenever a filmmaker has a task of making a scene, often times the main objective is to simply create a scene that can either be deeply metaphorical or very simplistic in its craft and form. This can derive from a simple shot/reverse shot on two characters to adding several objects that will overall pertain to the narrative of the film. For the Coen Brothers, they were able to achieve a sort of depth and complexity to a scene in its simplest form. Whether it is A Single Man, Fargo, or True Grit, the Brothers have always made films that come across as clean and yet add layers to a scene that becomes more impactful and memorable. The best example that the Coen Brothers created in their filmography is No Country For Old Men, a neo-western film

The audience starts to have stress on the situation Llewelyn is in when the camera slowly creeps on his face in a high-angle shot, displaying a possible vulnerability that might befall him. As the scene moves forward, the length of each shot made and how there are no fancy transitions evokes a realism to the scene; where nothing fantastical or magical is created but instead comes close to home on the reality the scene is created, and this scene, in particular, could have the possibility of happening in real life. With all of these elements together, the scene right off the bat intensifies that idea of the cat-and-mouse chase that was going on previously in the film. As the camera switches to a medium shot of the hotel room with Llewelyn around the middle, there’s a sense of claustrophobia that is displayed from the camera not showing the entirety of the room itself. This is further emphasized by the close-up shots of Llewelyn’s face and the briefcase he handles, which later he finds a tracking device that obtains an extreme close-up shot. The equal amount of time each shot (which were made twice) switches the feeling of tension into fear for both Llewelyn and the audience members. An additional role that the camera takes is how it moves in correlation to Llewelyn’s movements in the scene. While obviously adding that idea of tension made from that decision, the other fact is made by how slow the movement is made that attention is created for the viewer to see in order for the scene’s effectiveness to work. This all leads up to the final showdown between Llewelyn and Anton where the camera is pointed to the door handle, and for a split second, the door lock pops out, and the editing switches to “blink and you’ll miss it” moments that ends the scene in a gratifying and explosive matter. The choice to have the perspective of