Although I am in no way an expert on drama and acting, watching this movie made me realize just how acting can make or break a film. Out of all of the scenes, I only encountered 2 characters whose acting was less than excellent. When these characters showed up, although their lines were few, they still had the ability to ruin a scene that could have been more emotionally effective.
I will start with the bad. The first bit of poor acting I witnessed was from Carla Jean's mother. First of all, one could tell that the actress was much younger than her character was supposed to be and she was taking on all the cliches of an elderly annoyed woman. The voice she used was not a believable old woman's voice. She was trying to be weak and shaky but her body made it obvious that she was still in good health. The second scene of mediocre acting was after Anton Chigurh walked away from the car accident and the two teenage boys came up to him while he was sitting on the curb with a broken arm. The two were successful at looking grossed out, but the way they spoke seemed like they were simply told to act young and ignorant, so the viewer automatically is brought back to the perspective of, "Oh...I'm watching a movie", instead of staying inside of the movie because all the actors make their characters so believable.
Besides these two scenes, the acting was overall an overwhelming success. I have never been a fan of movies involving violent murders or chases, but this film is one of my new favorites because the characters were developed so well. There was only narration at the beginning and end of the movie, so it was up to the actors to develop their characters emotionally throughout every scene. Below, according to each character, I have listed the remarkable attributes that came to my attention throughout No Country for Old Men.
Anton Chigurh: His smiles are the most prominent part of his acting. He did not speak English before the making of this film, so considering that, his facial expressions are even more impressive. The first scene he is remembered for is when he is choking and slicing the neck of the old sheriff, all the while smiling and showing struggling eyes to kill him. His eyebrow movements show his moods of curiosity or being anxious and evil. With each additional scene, he does a better job of appearing more and more tired. He is a master at appearing paranoid to show the character's superstition as he shoots a crow and truly believes in the fate of coin-flipping. When he is shot, his eyes show that he is ashamed that he let himself get vulnerable. He continues this shameful posture and appearance as he hesitantly bathes and cleans his wounds. His chin is angled up when talking and listening. He eyes are wide when he waits in the dark.
Llewelyn Moss: His face always shows a keen focus on whatever is before him. His steps are slow and lazy to show his calm and relaxed nature even as he finds the murder scene of a drug deal gone wrong. At the same time, he appears apathetic with no changes of surprised eyes or cringes as he finds the dead bodies or the man who is still alive but almost dead. He does a good job of looking surprised and suddenly aware when he realizes that people could be following him to motels which shows that the character is new to the game. His fear is shown by heavy breathing when running which turns into slow motions when hiding. His eyes grow wide when he is anticipating an attack. He drags his feet at times when he should be running. His exhaustion is shown by these slow movements and by his stuttering when talking to the teenage boys he encounters.
Gas Station Cashier: He exemplifies fear by acting confused and helpless when talking to Anton. His eyes are squinted and he stutters a bit when telling Anton that he has to close up the shop.
Ed Tom Bell (Sheriff): He is able to tell and witness a bad story and not be phased by it. He rarely looks the other characters in the eyes, which could either be something the director told him to avoid or it is possibly a sign of nervousness from the actor himself if he is not totally confident in his lines or how to act. His face does show concern when he goes looking for Llewelyn himself and hears gunshots and sees the girl dead in the pool with many others injured and dead.
Sheriff's trainee/shadow: He always stands up straight in order to appear like he is trying to be confident around Ed Tom Bell. He tries to not show any emotion toward the violent scene just like the Sheriff. He gazes down at the ground when he hears something scary and bites his lip.
Carla Jean: Appears sad and does not look her husband in the eyes or show an immense interest in his arrival at home. She acts as if he typically does not tell her where she's been, so she sits slouched over and hopeless, even though the couple's interaction of sitting shoulder to shoulder shows that they truly do care for each other deeply. After Anton had been gone and she is with her mother, she talks to him on the phone gently with her bottom lip dropped when she listens to the hard truth. She does a good job of looking innocent but curious. When she is scared for Llewelyn, she shakes her fist at her side when talking to him on the phone. Her high-pitched crying when she discovers that Llewelyn had been killed conveys that they really did love each other but she also shows that she knew it was going to happen all along by not showing true sadness up until that point. Once she becomes a widow, she looks more shy, tired, and her eyes have less hope in them. She makes her mouth quiver to show this sadness. When she denies the coin toss for Anton, she is sure to shake her head to prove that it really is the wrong thing to do.
Carson: He moves his head forward when trying to make a point and talks a big game with a straight posture to convey confidence. He spends much of his time shaking his head back and forth when he is with Anton in order to convey disbelief and fear while appearing confident for his future murderer.
-Carley Vanatsky
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