No Country For Old Men Coin Toss Scenes Analysis
Anton chugar is a heartless killing machine and in the movie is represented as an emotionless, relentless scary character. In two scenes in the movie he decides someones fait, whether or not he'll kill them, with a coin toss.
Firstly i will be discussing the first coin toss scene which takes place in a gas station. The first shot you see for this scene is an establishing shot for the gas station. This tells the audience how rural we are and how far Anton has travelled since we last saw him. This then quickly transitions into a mid shot establishing the inside of the shop and the shop owner. The shop is crowded and there seems to be some sort of rope hanging above the shop owner. These look like nooses and creates tension as it makes the audience wonder what will happen in the rest of the scene, whether he will live or die. Most of the following shots are over the shoulder shots and don't tend to alter much. This could perhaps represent the stability of the situation, in the sense that anton is in control and how the shop owners fait is set almost in the sense that hell have to make a decision. Throughout the scene anton always seems to be in control. He always appears bigger and is blocking the exit. This shows that the power of what follows in the scene is always controlled by him. The fact he blocks the door also represents the shop owners limited escape. In the conversation the shop owner always tries to break the conversation and awkwardness but Anton always keeps it going. The shop owner is looking for an escape from the awkward conversation but Anton is always blocking it. Another thing which shows Anton is always in control is the fact he always answers a question with a question. This prolongs the conversation and shows Anton is in control. Another stand out thing in this scene is the use of music. This is one of the only scenes in the entire movie that has music. Although it is very quiet there is some there. This slight bit of music emphasises the importance of the scene and also creates a slight bit of tension. There are only two close ups in the scene, being the close up of the coin and the wrapper. The coin is a very important prop in this scene as it determines the life or death of the shop owner. The fact it gets a close up shows its significance not just to Anton but to the shop owner. The other close up is of a wrapper which Anton had been eating out off. When he puts the wrapper on the table it stretches out and makes a rather horrible squirm sound. This represents a dying animal and leads the audience to believe Anton will kill him. The fact Anton doesn't kill him emphasises the importance of this scene.
In comparison to the first coin toss scene i will be talking about the second one. One of the main differences between the two scenes is the fact that Carla doesn't play Anton's game. Anton is clearly annoyed by this decision and he is clearly scene for one of the first times in the film as angry. After Carla doesn't call it all we see is Anton leaving the house and checking his boots. This infers he has killed her but we are left with the sense of uncertainty and incompleteness. I believe this is done to represent how Anton is feeling as he is incomplete because she didn't play his game. In the scene Anton is lurking in the dark with only his hands exposed to the light. This is so that the audience can see he doesn't have a gun in his hands. They are both wearing black which is used as a symbol for darkness and death. This implies that Carla will be killed. This scene is very different to the first, this time Carla is blocking the exit and Anton is forced into the corner. This shows the lack of power or his diminishing power since last we saw him in this situation. The shots are also stretched out much longer and as a result build up tension and make the audience interested in the final result of the scene. Anton is also always alone in his shots in this scene and almost creates the scene that he is ready for a fight. Also the fact that Anton is shot on a lower level than carla shows a change in power. Carla is now blocking the door and is in control. This shows how much the coin toss has driven him to madness.
Firstly i will be discussing the first coin toss scene which takes place in a gas station. The first shot you see for this scene is an establishing shot for the gas station. This tells the audience how rural we are and how far Anton has travelled since we last saw him. This then quickly transitions into a mid shot establishing the inside of the shop and the shop owner. The shop is crowded and there seems to be some sort of rope hanging above the shop owner. These look like nooses and creates tension as it makes the audience wonder what will happen in the rest of the scene, whether he will live or die. Most of the following shots are over the shoulder shots and don't tend to alter much. This could perhaps represent the stability of the situation, in the sense that anton is in control and how the shop owners fait is set almost in the sense that hell have to make a decision. Throughout the scene anton always seems to be in control. He always appears bigger and is blocking the exit. This shows that the power of what follows in the scene is always controlled by him. The fact he blocks the door also represents the shop owners limited escape. In the conversation the shop owner always tries to break the conversation and awkwardness but Anton always keeps it going. The shop owner is looking for an escape from the awkward conversation but Anton is always blocking it. Another thing which shows Anton is always in control is the fact he always answers a question with a question. This prolongs the conversation and shows Anton is in control. Another stand out thing in this scene is the use of music. This is one of the only scenes in the entire movie that has music. Although it is very quiet there is some there. This slight bit of music emphasises the importance of the scene and also creates a slight bit of tension. There are only two close ups in the scene, being the close up of the coin and the wrapper. The coin is a very important prop in this scene as it determines the life or death of the shop owner. The fact it gets a close up shows its significance not just to Anton but to the shop owner. The other close up is of a wrapper which Anton had been eating out off. When he puts the wrapper on the table it stretches out and makes a rather horrible squirm sound. This represents a dying animal and leads the audience to believe Anton will kill him. The fact Anton doesn't kill him emphasises the importance of this scene.
In comparison to the first coin toss scene i will be talking about the second one. One of the main differences between the two scenes is the fact that Carla doesn't play Anton's game. Anton is clearly annoyed by this decision and he is clearly scene for one of the first times in the film as angry. After Carla doesn't call it all we see is Anton leaving the house and checking his boots. This infers he has killed her but we are left with the sense of uncertainty and incompleteness. I believe this is done to represent how Anton is feeling as he is incomplete because she didn't play his game. In the scene Anton is lurking in the dark with only his hands exposed to the light. This is so that the audience can see he doesn't have a gun in his hands. They are both wearing black which is used as a symbol for darkness and death. This implies that Carla will be killed. This scene is very different to the first, this time Carla is blocking the exit and Anton is forced into the corner. This shows the lack of power or his diminishing power since last we saw him in this situation. The shots are also stretched out much longer and as a result build up tension and make the audience interested in the final result of the scene. Anton is also always alone in his shots in this scene and almost creates the scene that he is ready for a fight. Also the fact that Anton is shot on a lower level than carla shows a change in power. Carla is now blocking the door and is in control. This shows how much the coin toss has driven him to madness.
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