No Country For Old Men Essay

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A Critical Reflection of No Country for Old Men Anton Chigurth is perhaps one of the most complex antagonistic characters in modern cinema. No Country for Old Men, in short, is a film about a chase between a character named Llewelyn Moss, who has found a satchel full of money at a crime scene and decided to take it for himself and Anton Chigurth, who is hell bent on hunting down Moss and retrieving the money by any means necessary. At the center of all this is Sherriff Ed Tom Bell, who is looking to bring Chigurth to justice for crimes that he has committed. The interactions between these three main characters combined with cinematic techniques such as sparse musical scoring and tightly controlled lighting all lend to suggestion of Chigurth’s…show more content…
Carla Jean refuses to bet for her life, saying that she knew what was in store when she first saw him sitting in the room and that the coin had no say in her fate- that Chigurth would ultimately decide if she lived or died, to which Chigurth replies “Well, I got here the same way the coin did.” Scene design plays a big role in this scene in which two unstoppable forces meet, most notable is the lighting in the bedroom. Chigurth is seen sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, almost no light is present in the corner, making Chigurth almost indiscernible amongst the shadows while Carla Jean sits in full daylight from the window at the seat of the vanity. This intentional contrast between the characters works as a visual cue for the audience, drawing our attention to Carla Jean and her defiance of Chigurth’s orders. A lack of music during this scene also cues in the audience to pay close attention to the dialogue. Chigurth takes control in this scene and (presumably) kills Carla Jean, and is immediately punished for it by fate in the form of a car
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