Writing Assignment 2

Mitch Hansen

Suspense Blog

Filmmakers use a variety of techniques to build suspense in their films.  One such movie that uses many of these techniques is the Cohen Brothers' No Country for Old Men.  In this film, a hit man is tracking down a man who has stolen millions of dollars from a drug dealer.   No Country for Old Men uses techniques like dramatic irony and point-of-view shots to build suspense.


This first scene we will examine is one of the more memorable scenes from the film:

Earlier in the film, we learned that the antagonist hit man (the man with the long hair in the scene) chooses whether to kill people based on the flip of a coin.  However, the man working the register has no idea that this is the case.  We as the viewer know that this very coin flip but determine this man's fate, but the fact that the man has no idea what the purpose of the coin toss is makes the scene very suspenseful.  This use of dramatic irony makes the viewer uneasy about the fate of the cashier, and keeps the audience in suspense.

Take a look at this next scene:

In this scene, the director uses a few techniques to make it suspenseful.  I really like how the pace is unpredictable.  At first it shows our antagonist (named Anton) slowly walking towards the motel room.  The takes are long and slowly pan on Anton's face and his feet.  After he enters the room, however, the takes become quick and choppy as the bullets fly.  This change in tempo does a great job at building suspense, and it never lets the viewer get comfortable or get a "feel" for the scene.  Also, the directors use a point-of-view shot as Anton checks in the bathroom.  The camera slowly follows Anton's vision as he peeks around the corner of the bathroom.  This builds suspense because the viewer does not know what will happen next: we only see what Anton sees.

No Country for Old Men creates suspense unlike almost any other film.  This translated into a Academy Award win for Best Picture for the film.  As we follow the cat-and-mouse chase that is the basis of the film's plot.  One can't help but be on the edge of their seat the entire time due to the wonderfully executed suspense techniques the directors use.