No Country For Old Men — Dissecting A Collaborative Masterpiece

I was sheriff of this County when I was 25 years old hard to believe grandfather was a lawman father date No Country for Old Men is one of my favorite films of all time very few films have attained the level of intentionality and precision that this stone did when I was first trying to write the script for this video I tried to break down the components of the film and talk about each one separately the writing directing acting cinematography sound design and editing but as I tried to separate each part I realized that each aspect was so heavily intertwined with the other parts of the film that I could only analyze this film by talking about all aspects at the same time I want to start by looking at the script the final film follows the 122 page script very closely with some small deviations the opening monologue given by sheriff Bell foreshadows the events of this story it gives us an idea of what this film was about and also begins to tell us about the three main characters but I don't want to push my chips for and go out and meet something I don't understand this line tells us about sheriff Bell a man who upholds the law yet knows that there is evil that he doesn't have the power to fight this line also informs us about Anton Chigurh he is the evil that sheriff Bell doesn't comprehend man that's what a soul at hazard this line informs us about Llewellyn Moss the other man at the center of the chaos that is about to take place this opening monologue foreshadows the clash between these three men the film introduces us to sugar in the best way possible a murder this scene occurs right after the sheriff's monologue we get a wide-angle medium shot of the deputy with sugar sitting out of focus on the right the camera slowly pushes in sugar stands and brings his arms to the front of his body but remains out of focus heightening our fear of this man the angle changes as the officer is yanked to his feet but we still don't see the face of sugar the men hit the ground we cut to look at the deputy sugars face remains out of view our focus is on the deputy struggles to survive listen to the train running by this heightening the distress of the deputy we finally cut to an angle where we see the face of sugar as he is mid kill notice the acting by Javier Bardem the expression on sugars face is one of madness even enjoyment this shot looks down on the action it slowly pushes forward on sugars face and rotates as the scenes focus changes from the deputy to sugar the shot ends with a close-up of sugar face I love this shot as he washes the blood off of his wrists bloodied wrists are usually associated with death or suicide and sugar is death walking then we cut back to the still legs of the deputy the scrapes on the floor record the struggle the camera moves to show us sugar signature weapon the air tank this scene is a great way to introduce this character it shows us the collaboration between Roger Deakins cinematography the direction and editing from the Coens and the performance by Javier Bardem the next scene helps set up how sugar uses the airgun there's a great note on acting in this scene in the screenplay sugars line is I need you to step out of the car sir it's a simple line but watch how Bardem delivers it I need you to step out of the cars it's chilling that odd smile shows us that he enjoys the power he holds over people we are then introduced to the character on the other side of this conflict Llewellyn Moss what's interesting about his character is that we learn the most about him and the moments where he's quietly thinking we can see his mind constantly working and this is confirmed to us in the moments where he talks to himself what if you stop stopping shade when Moss gets back home we meet his wife Carla Jean this scene is where we get a taste of that witty humor inherent and Coen Brothers dialogue I don't want to know I don't even want to know anything all day another important scene comes soon after Moss has acquired the money and is on the run from the cartel sugar stops at a gas station it's here we learn more about his personal rules and view of the world the wide angle helps to give us a look at the environment in which the proprietor lives sugar walks into frame from the left a disruption of the environment you're getting right up here one after the proprietor asked sugar a question we get a close over the shoulder shot of both men and frame this question is made sugar notice the proprietor the shot almost gives us a sense that if he didn't ask this question maybe nothing would have happened sugars eyes lock on to the man the reverse shot shows that the proprietor now understands that he is in some sort of odd situation watch how sugar delivers this line what business is it of yours working from friend oh the shots continue in a shot reverse shot pattern as we go further into the scene the uncomfortable feeling strengthens we move into over the shoulder shots until sugar asks how the man came to run this store when the man answers watch how sugar reacts this was my watch father place originally you might return to it sugars disdain for the answer shows us more about his rules and beliefs there's a moment where the shots break from their pattern sugar crumples up the wrapper and places it on the table listen as it on kings not only does this add tension it also brings the audience's attention to the counter to prepare for the next part of the scene the coin toss call it the over-the-shoulder looking at the proprietor begins to push in as the chances of his death rise as we reverse the shot of sugar pushes in as well suspense Rises then he calls it alright hey Jim he's right well room tension is defused this scene gives us a larger understanding of sugar and the rules he subscribes to we finally meet sheriff Bell 28 minutes into the film this adds to his characterization he is a man who is constantly behind in the conflict that is taking place when sheriff Bell and his deputy go into the drug deal gone bad we are treated to more great Coen Brothers dialogue well this is just a deal gone wrong at me yeah here's to a bit of glitches to what's most important about this scene is the last line it's a mess anus share a favorite item it will live until the mouse gets here the shot that follows is sugar shadow on the entrance of mosses trailer followed by the air tank the script mirrors this air tank in all caps is the first thing the script says after this line showing the connection between the sheriff's words and sugar Moses trailer becomes the vehicle for the film's symbolism sugar searches the house then eventually settles down on the couch drinking milk notice how this shot directly correlates with a shot of moss and Carla Jean sugar is trying to understand them and predict their next move the next shot is sugar silhouette on the gray television when sheriff Bell comes to the trailer he's looking for sugar Belle is frustrated by how close he was to catching sugar he takes a seat on the couch but the angle is different then we cut to a shot of the sheriff silhouetted in the gray television sugar follows moss trying to get into his head and sheriff Bell fall off sugar trying to do the same 53 minutes into the film a new character enters to tell us more about sugar Carson wells Wells is the only character in the film that has a history with sugar he's the only one that has any idea of what sugar is like but we realized that even Wells doesn't really know the man in black all Wells shows us is that sugar remains in control you don't have to do this I'm a day trader I could just go home wells offers sugar money to an ATM 14 grand in it notice Barton's acting here as he replies mhm the delivery shows us his complete indifference to money what sugar does desire is to make people question why they do what they do if the rule you followed rotative is of what use was the rule this kill cuts off the last possibility of our understanding who sugar is and where he came from when Moss dies the sheriff finds him first and as always he is too late you can hear the despair in his voice with the delivery of this line local olive oil I'm not only one of the most interesting and confusing scenes in the film occurs soon after Moss's death when sheriff bell returns to the crime scene as Belle moved towards the door we can see the sign of sugars presence the blown out lock we get a close-up of it all we see is blackness in the circular reflection we can hear the high pitch rush of air coming out of the hole notice the fear on sheriff Bell's face this is what he has tried to avoid for the entire film meeting something he doesn't understand we cut inside and see sugar shrouded in darkness with only a small portion of his face lit we cut back and forth between the two men a moment of impending doom we get a close-up of the blown out lock from sugars perspective we can just make out the reflection of sheriff Belle Belle pushes the door open and we get a wide shot from within the hotel room but sugar is gone he stood behind the door until this moment and now he's missing tension stays high as the sheriff steps inside the camera pans across the room notice how Belle's shadow is fragmented by multiple lights and the mirror on the right side giving the room an eerie feeling Belle searches the room and finds the bathroom window locked sugar didn't leave that way Belle sits on the bed and notices the open vent where the money was being stored there's a dime on the floor it's landed on heads then the scene ends where did sugar go how did he escape I honestly don't know there are a few different theories I do think it's important to note that Belle see sugar as more of a ghost than a man as we here in the preceding scene my sir is no good yeah what would you kill you know sometimes I think he's pretty much a ghost I think he may be onto something the film presented us with this character and constantly made us wonder who he was was he just a psychopathic killer was he just a man with a particular set of odd principles or was he something bigger was he a force of nature a ghost of reckoning I'm not sure but I would love to discuss this in the comment section below the film concludes with sheriff Bell he made his decision he is retired he's chosen not to be a part of that world he now has safety mediocrity a man who compared himself to those who had come before and didn't measure up a man who saw all the darkness all the cold a man who saw the torches held by those who went before him a man who had the opportunity to do what they did know will go

Channel: Tyler Mowery

Views: 676,748

Rating: 4.8278737 out of 5

Keywords: tyler mowery, causbury, nerdwriter, thenerdwriter1, lessons from the screenplay, snowpiercer, shutter island, theory of everything, video essay, no country for old men, coen brothers, film analysis, script analysis, movie review, filmmaker, cinematography, acting, directing, editing, n.t. jordan, short film

Id: N9SF4mXi49o

Length: 11min 57sec (717 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 28 2017