Great Movie Scenes #21
MOVIE: No Country For Old Men (2007)
SCENE: “Coin Toss”
ACTORS: Javier Bardem, Gene Jones
DIRECTOR: The Coen Brothers
WRITERS: Joel and Ethan Coen, Cormac McCarthy (novel)
If there was a Mt. Rushmore of modern American directors, I would place the Coen Brothers right up there. From RAISING ARIZONA to FARGO and THE BIG LEBOWSKI, they have a great ability to (even when based on a previous medium) create memorable characters and an even greater ability with dialogue. Anytime they are getting to release a film, it is an event. In fact later this month, Joel, going solo for the first time, is getting ready to release THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH, which I’m sure will play into the year-end awards conversation.
In 2007 the brothers took the critics and the Academy Awards by storm with their adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. Though this film is based on a novel, I’d argue on of their greatest character creations is ANTON CHIGUR played by Javier Bardem. CHIGUR is quite possibly one of the most sadistic psychopaths to ever appear in a film. Bardem won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
While there are several memorable scenes in this film featuring CHIGUR, this is the scene that I often think about when looking back on this film. After a series of murders he commits at the beginning of the film, CHIGUR paying for his gas, seems to take offense when the GAS STATION PROPRIETOR tries to start small talk. It leads to exchanges that ultimately leave the viewer uncomfortable because you just might assume the GAS STATION PROPRIETOR will be the latest victim. But as you see in this scene, which adds a dash of humor and unsettling behavior, leads to the question, “What’s the most you ever lost in a coin toss?”.
An excellent scene from arguably one of the best films of the last 20 years.