Fifteen years later, this scene is still one of the tensest action sequences in cinema.
If there is one thing that the Coen brothers know how to do best, it is building tension. No film of theirs makes me as tense as their neo-western classic, No Country for Old Men.
Adapted almost directly from Cormac McCarthy’s novel of the same name, the Coen brothers’ No Country for Old Men is a lean and brutal story that explores whether any man can outrun his judgment. As Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) slowly tracks down each character with a bolt pistol, I can’t help but think about how effective the Eagle Pass Hotel scene is at building and maintaining tension.
In this scene, Llewelyn (Josh Brolin) checks into a hotel after outrunning Anton the first time. He already knows that Anton is hot on his tail, but he, along with the viewer, doesn’t know how close the hitman is. There are three techniques at play during this scene that make us clench our entire bodies as we watch the two men trying to outmaneuver each other for a suitcase full of money.
Author: Alyssa Miller
This article comes from No Film School and can be read on the original site.
