They’re not actually about to face each other. We just think they are.
And when Bell enters the room, look at his shadows
Yeah, in a different room just like before.
They do a great job with that.
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And of course this scene with Bell’s uncle Ellis is its own kind of intense doubling. Ellis is an ex-lawman who was left paralyzed in the line of duty. He is Bell futurae, the best case scenario for Tom if he doesn’t turn away now.
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Ellis just told us the theme of the movie.
This country’s hard on people. You can’t stop what’s coming. It ain’t all waiting on you. That’s vanity.
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“I wouldn’t worry about it” is a great line
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While I love how the Coens leave it up to us to assume whether Carla Jean wins the coin toss, it should be noted that in the book, it’s very clear he shoots her
The scene features the first time Anton expresses a real moment of frustration. He’s so tired of people saying the same old shit before they die.
I love the checking his shoes for blood to let us know he killed her
Just like cleaning out the chicken feathers lets us know he killed the truck driver
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They even showed these kids when he was walking out the house so they don’t just come out of nowhere conveniently here.
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I feel like good storytelling is based on little touches like that where the audience is so in sync with the story that they fill in gaps like that. You don’t have to tell them. One look at that visual and they know.
“Anything interesting?”
“There always is to the party concerned.”
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The cut to credits here enraged so many people LOL
Why?
Lots of truthisms like this sprinkled throughout the movie, especially from TLJ
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Audiences are trained to expect a climactic showdown between the hero and villain. Once Llewlyn died, they assumed that at some point before the credits, Sheriff Bell and Chigurh would face off. It slowly dawned on them during the last scene that wait, is this really not going to happen? Then credits.
I love it, but I totally see why people felt cheated.
Why would they fight?
TLJ never had the money and didn’t do anything that would ping Chigurh’s code to have him go after him.
Bell would fight Chigurh to the death if he came across him.
When Bell takes out his gun and is moments from entering the hotel room, the audience thinks THIS will be that confrontation. Whether by intention or accident, Bell and Chigurh will face off.
But that doesn’t happen. And it’s only when the credits roll that the audience realizes it’s NEVER going to happen.
Yeah they made you think it would happen then, but once it doesn’t, it’s not ever happening.
Now I want to watch something else but nothing seems right to follow that.
There Will Be Blood is the perfect pairing imo
Or The Road if that is to your taste. That one is directed by John Hillcoat, who also directed another good western called The Proposition