Also.....the food he is eating is actually a metaphorical timer of his patience. After each statement he takes another bite slowly showing he is literally losing his patience.
@@DonGeritch might have been inspired by true events. I saw a show talking about serial killers, bank robbers that would use for example a cigarette as a timer for them to hurry up and get him what he was asking for. Told them they had until their cigarette hits its butt or he was going to start killing hostages. Another used M&Ms, saying they had until the bag was empty til he started shooting unless they gave them the money out of the safes etc. So unless the real people got that idea from the cinema or the cinema got it from them lol
From my perspective, The reason why Anton engaged his sociopathic tendencies was because the shop keeper openly admitted that he was watching Anton from the start.
Yeah as an actual psychopath, I felt like this video's analysis didn't jive with how psychopaths think... but yes. That's what I got from watching this too. He started out feeling like the guy was a threat, with the guy seeming a bit too observant to be left as a witness. Interrogating him further made him feel like less of a threat, for complicated reasons. Partly because Anton keeps threatening the guy, and the guy partly acts like he doesn't even understand the threat. The sigh was not stress exactly, it was impatience and aggression. I also have a different view of the guy marrying into the gas station. I've heard analysis saying the exact opposite, but I'd actually probably admire that. Psychopaths are takers. I have a certain amount of respect for people who take what they want. And I think the coin toss let the guy choose his own fate. Not that a psychopath really cares who is to blame, he just treats it more as a game, or it could even be a superstition I suppose. Overall I liked this scene and felt it was pretty accurate, as I've been in situations where I had to gauge whether someone was to be trusted or not, and this is one way it could play out. My wife is also a psychopath and she generally only likes movies where people are getting murdered, and something about this one was still a bit too accurate for her. She kept looking at the movie and looking at me and finally she told me I shouldn't be watching it because it was a bad influence.
We all know Javier Bardem is a great actor but the beauty of this scene is that in order for it to truly work his terrifying character has to have an equally skilled actor to face off against. Gene Jones, the shopkeeper, is equally excellent here. Terrific scene, brilliantly acted.
This is probably one of the better videos that try to explain what's going on in the mind of Anton. The man is a psychopath and kills people either when they are of no more use to him of have become a problem or an annoyance but in cases like these gives them a 50/50 chance at living.
@@Twelvegage30 Which makes sense when you notice that Anton doesn't become distressed until the shopkeep commented on where he was from in his small talk.
@@serpentinewolf7085 you have to take into account that Anton is a Contract Killer so he's a paid killer, so the less people who know about him the better.
The reason why Anton takes an interest in the shopkeeper is because he took an interest in Anton, it was an intimidation technique that Anton was almost playing with, realising that he already knew where the shopkeeper lived and how he makes people uncomfortable, and probably has his entire life. What caused the requirement of the coin toss was Anton didn't see the man as having earnt the position he now inhabits. Anton almost choked on the chocolate bar when he says he married into it because up until this point the shopkeeper was nothing more than entertainment for him, but when he learned that life had gifted the shopkeeper the position and peace that he had, Anton understood that life had also put him there to act as the arbiter as to whether he was worthy of that privilege. The coin toss was merely the mechanism with which Anton allows the shopkeeper to make his case. In Anton's mind, if the shopkeeper chooses wrong then life has decided that he is not worthy and must be eliminated to restore the balance, but if he chooses right then he really has earnt that privilege and Anton can depart happy because he too believes the shop keeper to be worthy, despite being gifted his retirement through marriage. Anton never saw this man as a threat, whether he saw his face or not.
Funny thing, that moment Anton heard the shop keeper bring up his wife's g father place. That was accidental improve, Bardem choked on the peanut, but kept going instead.
I was a correctional officer in a Texas prison, when I went to school for criminal justice, we learned so much about how to read a persons body language, it’s so much more then what a person is saying, it’s how you say it, what tone of voice, the eye movements, the moving of hands 🙌 or shoulders rolling forward/back, touching your face, biting your lip, crossing your legs while sitting down, standing shoulder width apart being well balanced so many things, working in a prison with people that are doing life for murders it comes in handy, great video
A lot of body language training in police like in interrogations is pretty bogus though no? Different people’s body language means different things and vice versa
@@mareksicinski3726 That's why they usually engage in normal conversation first to analyze your normal body language, they'll look for notable deviations from the established body language.
I love the little moment when you know the shop keeper realizes his life is the thing being put up. He has that last look down at the coin, he then slowly brings his gaze up to Anton's and give that little sigh of acceptance.
Yes, the whole scene builds and builds to the moment the shopkeeper realizes what he is putting up, accepts it and commits himself to his fate. The whole thing is a movie by itself.
This character truly spooked me. He looks and acts like my stepdad did (aside from the hair cut, lol. His face is very similar). He was an ex-marine who knew exactly how to get into your head and he was very physically abusive toward my brother and I as kids. To this day, my stepdad is the only person I know of who can intimidate me. I guess some good did come out of being raised by a psycho.
I'm sorry to hear that. Take your experiences and use them to benefit others. That is the best way, in my own personal experience, to help deal with trauma. I wish you the best and I'm sure you've got a handle on everything
I've been a cinephile for most of my life with heavy leanings towards the horror, thriller, and suspense genres. This dialogue brought out a sense of dread and tension in me I've seldom if ever felt before in any other movie. It was like standing on the craters edge of a dormant volcano and hearing the ground begin to rumble. I heard it took Bardem many months to get his head out of the dark places he went while performing this role.
@@mareksicinski3726 A lot of the top actors achieve their performances by putting themselves in the 'mindset' of their characters (particularly method actors), and if that character they are portraying goes against their own moral compass it tends to leave them a bit shaken that they'd find themselves able to think that way. Imagine having a bad thought and shaking it off with, "I'd never actually DO that" but having to do it constantly as part of your job.
I can't thank u enough for this,I'm tryna be an actor and no classes are available now,and the fact that ur explaining what every small expression means is helping me understand what I must do with my expressions based on a scene
I never really have been able to decide what Antoine's inner workings were like. Your line about him thinking in a logical and calm way, and being perturbed by people who don't kinda unlocked some ideas. Antoine as a character seems like a man trying desperately to find logic in a chaotic world. The moment something cracks his calm, whether it be a person or an idea, he can't fall to his irrationally violent tendencies, because that would be falling to chaos. The act of the flipping the coin is him assigning a logic to the chaotic. "I am in control of myself, and if I feel chaos coming, I take it out of my hand, and put into this coin". It mirrors the convo he had earlier with the woman who tried to explain to him that he did have choices, but he doesn't believe it.
The shopkeeper recognized quick that Anton was dangerous and tried to give him as little information as possible, such as where he lived. The shopkeeper is stuck there, the shop is his life, he even lives behind it. To him Anton is a monster, someone who could come back to the store at any time, maybe every day, and make him miserable. Anton is being a bully.
@@lindahandley5267 He got into it. You can practically smell the creepy on him. I think we have all had an experience similar to this, but not to this degree. I had to shake a psycho a few times. It wasn't as simple as this. Anton went on his way. One of my psychos worked where I worked. It was horrible. He looked like Robert Dinero in 'Cape Fear', greased back hair, permanent scowl. One day everything was fine, next day I'm living in fear. I had to take the pictures of my kids off my locker lest he see a way to affect me. He was fresh out of prison, looking for a punk, looking for someone to pick him up for work, drive him home, take him to the store. He targeted me because I'm a nice guy. Anyway, it was hard, I had to play it like I was tough. I was scared. I was working at a factory shucking clams, so the place wasn't exactly civilized, I had to deal with this violent freak alone. He was playing jail house mind games on me. Sometimes it was subtle, like ask me, 'So Nelson, do you workout?' It was 2 rough weeks, then like magic, problem... no problem... his sister had him committed to a mental hospital and he was gone. He really was psycho! He wasn't the worst. The worst terrorized a whole neighborhood. He was good at it. 8 years straight in prison, he had his intimidation tactics down.
@NELSON X...That's some scary story! I've been sitting here thinking back over my life if I'd ever been in contact with anyone like that and I haven't, except for my work situation, not on a personal level. I certainly have been around people where red flags shot up and made me feel very uncomfortable. I usually avoided them at all costs, but you didn't have much of a choice! I retired from the mental health field and I know how a psychotic person acts. I had a few close calls, but managed to talk my way out of getting hurt. There were a lot of my co-workers that DID. You can be having a somewhat sane conversation with them and they could come at you out of left field. I had a lot of compassion and empathy for them though and used to think, 'but for the grace of God, there go I.' I'm glad you got out safely! Thanks for sharing!
@@nelsonx5326 what about "so nelson, do you like working out" did you dislike/stood out as a mindgame? Maybe he was a workout nerd and akwardly trying to bond? I mean the rest of which you said was quite chilling but this one made me curious
@@dasitmane7590 I left a long comment detailing the experience. RUclips must have taken it down. Not the first time they have taken down a true story by me. It took me a couple hours to write the story. I'm very upset about being censored. I worked pretty hard on the story, making sure it could be understood and pictured. He was not bonding with the workout thing. I was sitting in my car waiting for my buddy. The nasty guy walked behind my car. I could see him in my rearview mirror. He disappeared like he fell into an open manhole. In my sideview mirror I could see his legs going up and down level with the ground. He was doing push-ups. It was right after that he asked me if I work out. Besides that, he had been trying to make me his punk, jailhouse style where he bosses me around and I basically told him 'It aint me babe'. The psychological terror didn't work, now he was displaying his physical strength.
After watching this breakdown I re-watched No Country for Old Men and there is a scene shortly after this one where Anton talks to a female property manager who makes incredible eye contact with Anton. She never breaks eye contact with Anton and is even a little snarky with him and I think it would be a great scene for you to break down where you can compare and contrast the behavior of the gas station attendant with the property manager.
Indeed, although that is not such a legendary scene, I think it would have made sense to get into it a bit in this video because it is the complete opposite. Not only does she hold eye contact with him, she stands by her principles and as absolutely no-nonsense about it. It was clear that Anton was unnerved by that and I think he really did not want to kill that woman since she showed all the traits he respects. It made him hesitate long enough until the toilet flushes and he realizes that backing off would be the smart thing to do.
This is the comment I was looking for. The property manager is different from everybody else Anton meets. She knows what she will and won't do and she won't be intimidated. She even does a little jump at Chigurh to intimidate him. Yeah, maybe she got lucky with the toilet, with not knowing him, and with not being bright enough to get scared. Still, she rattled Anton and he left as much from confusion as running out of time. Intimidation was his tool to control everybody. She wasn't having it. Coen's are cool.
I have to disagree. The lack of eye contact at the beginning of the scene is dismissiveness, not confidence. Anton doesn’t give a shit about the shop keeper and he’d like to keep it that way. Unfortunately the gas station owner interrupted his day which sets him off. Anton can’t stand dealing with petty things and petty people (that’s they way he judges people). Anton has a very high opinion of himself. He gets to play god with a quarter. Anton believes this mans life is so pathetic that he’d be doing him a favor by giving him a chance to die. He also relieves himself of the actual burden of judgement by leaving the murder up to chance. In Anton’s mind if he leaves it up to chance it’s not really him causing the death. It’s more of an existential threat. It’s sick and twisted logic.
I like to think that Anton looks down at the floor during the coin toss because he’s submissive to the coin toss itself. The coin is now making Anton’s next move. So he doesn’t try to take any control over it- I also feel like he’s submissive towards the coin because it’s his only reasoning to kill someone. If they choose their own fate, then he’s just there to incite it. But HE did not choose weather to kill them or not.
The Shopkeeper nearly loses his life for asking a simple, friendly, question. Anton is a horrifying, yet incredibly intelligent, psycho. Also, for a video suggestion; could you do the standoff scene from TWD S2E8: Nebraska?
@Sean Deli it seems like you're desperately trying to act like someone else rather than yourself. From what you've said, I'd say you're a fake person. Don't ever bother responding with some bullshit excuse or "attack"
@Sean Deli If you can take control of a situation and people like Chigurh does in this scene, you would be leading multinational corporations, running for president, etc. You wouldn't be wasting such immense presence and getting your kicks from annoying random people. You also wouldn't feel the need to lower yourself to answer a random comment on youtube, things such as this would be so below you, it wouldn't even register. You're unable to write without making constant grammatical errors, you can't even form sentences properly. What I think is happening when you're "maniplulating" is people notice how awkward you are and through pity adjust their behavior to accommodate you to help you feel less insecure.
Suggestion if you would run out of videos analyzing : Hannibal TV Series, most interesting character to focus on would be Hannibal at least in my opinion, someone else might disagree.
You ever watch inglorious bastards? There’s really good scenes too, in the beginning of the movie and in the middle when their at a bar asking about the peoples accents
The actor that plays the shopkeeper was amazing in this scene. It looks like the crew hid a camera in the store and put Javier to talk to an innocent person...
It's fascinating how quickly human beings can recognize a potential dangerous situation. The shopkeeper recognized so quickly that this guy was to be taken seriously. Body language was everything in this scene. And they nailed it. I wasn't too big of a fan of the movie as a whole. But this scene in particular was great.
The shopkeeper's age was a huge factor. The scene wouldn't have worked if he was a young guy. An older guy has been around and knows how to recognize a dangerous person quite quickly. A younger guy most likely would have acted cocky and gotten himself killed. No coin toss necessary.
@@gardenofeels6872 Fair point. They say the brain isn't fully developed until around age 25. They also say that 70-90 percent of communication is nonverbal. This scene is all about the nonverbal communication.
I kinda thought anton is just kinda paranoid his job was to get the money and everything seems to go wrong and this random shop keeper kept asking questions
Anton is a man of few words. The words he does use, however, have a purpose. He’s not one for small talk. In my opinion, he would’ve left without incident if the shopkeeper hadn’t brought up useless topics, as implied by the “you don’t know what you’re talking about, do you?”. This scene was executed perfectly.
Here’s an odd one, but it might be cool- what about 2005 King Kong? Andy Serkis did the facial and body motion capture and there are some impressive shots in that movie
I think this scene does a very good job at showing that passivity only gets you so far. We naturally have fight or flight, but if the person wants to bring harm to you and you can't get out you are better off fighting than dying. I got lucky in a way, learned that lesson at 13, next door neighbors tried to stab me so they could rob us and fence our stuff for meth money. I fought and lived because of it. I have since had to deal with people trying to start fights because of whatever stupid justification and Everytime I've managed to talk them out of getting their asses killed. Had a dude pull a gun on me a couple months ago and I was fully ready to cross the line and kill him if that's what it took to live, and that scared the everloving shit out of him and got me out of the situation. Sometimes showing someone that you are willing to do anything to stay alive is enough to scare em off because most people aren't actually willing to put their life on the line when threatening someone else's. Also people don't realize if your life is in danger, better to roll the bones that are weighted with your own skills than put your fate entirely in the hands of someone with malicious intent in the first place. I don't own a gun or anything for self defense, I just have PTSD and a survival instinct that takes over when someone threatens my well being. Funny thing too, once you've actually had your life on the line like that trivial everyday bullshit stops bothering you because you know the one thing that matters, you are still breathing.
I don't think that the actor who plays the shopkeeper gets enough credit in this scene. I've only seen him in one other thing. I believe that he played a pharmacist in the show, Louie.
I’m a little late to the comment but if you liked the actor who played the shopkeeper check out a movie called The Sacrament. He plays a cult leader and is very good as well.
Anton choked because he realized the shopkeeper didnt work for what he had , he married into his wife's family business making the shopkeeper in Antons eyes less than a man. Anton is the quintessential Alpha male in the room.
Once again this is an awesome video and I can't wait to see if and when he covers either the "bunnies are good at multiplying" scene from zootopia or anything from cars or Lion King
Interestingly he doesn't actually act like he does in the book. The directors chose cold, precision over his removed and cynical sense of humor. It still shines through at times, but he was more unassuming in the book, and certainly younger appearing. He was like the young blood city type that made all the old yokels who are still attached to a hospitality no longer found in the inner city. He's essentially moving through easy territory and it's pretty easy for him to take advantage of those types and he gets a huge kick out of it in the book. He mocks people's accents like a little kid, etc. He's fascinated with how prey-like they are. It's great.
Now I really want to see a video analyzing the "Harvey Dent and Moroni in the car" and the "Batman confronts Harvey Dent/Twoface at 2552nd Street" scenes from the Dark Knight.
Kudos also for the actor playing the gas station owner, and the one playing the woman at the RV court. Their reactions to Bardem's "Chigurh" helps him play off of their personalities. "Did yew not he-ar me? We cain't give out that in-for-MA-tion."
Enigma... you MUST do the scene where Anton confronts the secretary at the mobile home park. Because Anton appears to respond to the secretary asserting herslef and he slinks away. Would be amazing for you to review.
@@nickmeyer238 , does not matter. He had no problem killing 3 in the hotel room and 2 at the scene of the failed drug deal. Why would two old people worry him? I see no evidence he left because of the other person in the toilet.
I found you and was impressed with your reading of a " Karen" but how you broke down this incredible scene is easily just as fascinating and speaks volumes at how well everyone involved with the movie put it together, starting of course with the actors.
This killer acts only in surprise or from behind. He also sends off waves of being a very dangerous man. I wanted that character graveyard dead before movies end. The character Lewellen almost did it. I guess I had to settle with him having life changing and crippling injuries at the end of the show. There are actually men like this out there.Never take your eyes off them, never turn your back.
The part in the scene where he gags a little on he nut bar that he is eating, I alway thought that that was actually him doing that because he did have a tiny piece of the chocolate bar lodged for a second in he’s throat and instead of the brothers doing another take just kept the cameras rolling. I like this part of the scene because it shows that cool calm and calculating Aton is human after all. Yes psychopaths do have accidents with nut bars or a piece of nut bar lodging in their throat. But as it turns out Anton is disgusted with the store owning for taking advantage of a women he probably didn’t love and married her for her family’s money. Something in Anton’s upbringing maybe or he didn’t like people who rip people off. Anton kills people yet he doesn’t like con artists or people that take things that don’t belong to them like Llewellyn taking the bag of money. What intrigued me with Llewellyn is that he never tipped the money out onto a table to examine the contents of the bag. I would have done this myself to see if it was only money in there. There could have been something in the bottom of the bag, drugs, or a gun, out there in the Mexican desert a snake could of curled up in the bag. I am just one of those people that checks everything. I always wondered why Lewellyn went back to the scene of the shoot out that night. That would be one place I would never return to. People say he went back to give the dying Mexican some water. The guy was an hour away from dying so why bother. That scene didn’t make sense to me. Someone said that he got greedy and went back for the bags of drugs. I think the latter makes more sense. That dam tracker that was in the bag and the fact that Llewellyn went back to the scene of the shoot out was he’s fate. Even when he ditched the tracker it was too late for Llewellyn everything just fell apart from there. I remember the scene when he found the tracker in the bag and I said to myself for goodness sake why didn’t you check the bag when you first found it.
This man is talking about eye contact and body language. In a pitch black room where we see less than half of his face and almost no expression or body language. Dude just do a voice over then.
He's not frustrated with the coin toss. He's not bothered with the outcome of the toss and the result that the outcome, he is merely following the rules of his philosophy. The sigh is one of boredom and going through the motions he would kill him but for the ritual of the coin toss. He's saying here we go again... Everyone gets their chance
I don't know how I got here but I suddenly thought about halfway through, why am I watching Sheldon Cooper explain the psychology of a scene from a film I saw years ago?
I just stumbled across your channel by pure chance, watched two videos and well.. instant sub. great content, to the point, no bs and great delivery. keep doing what you're doing, because you sure do it well!
The only person who is stressed in this scene is the shopkeeper. Anton is a psychopath and psychopaths don't feel much stress. Anton isn't feeling threatened by the shopkeeper, he's toying with him. It satisfies his sadistic mind making other people shit themselves out of fear.
When Anton looks to the ground after the coin toss its not because of frustration its because of empathy and sadness that he might have to kill another one
Anton Chigurh is considered by many certified experts on the subject of Psychopathy to be the most accurate depiction of a Psychopath put to media, he is cold, calculated, doesn't care for societal norms, lacks empathy and possesses a genuine, subtle sense of superiority above all other humans, yet if you total all of the traits presented by his character through both the book and / or its film adaptation, you will find he only sits at most at 14/40 on the hare psychopathy checklist, the official criteria used to diagnose psychopaths in the real world, to put this into perspective; you need a score of at least 30/40 to be considered a clinical psychopath.
Also.....the food he is eating is actually a metaphorical timer of his patience. After each statement he takes another bite slowly showing he is literally losing his patience.
true, though that's more of a cinematic language, than a body language
@@DonGeritch might have been inspired by true events. I saw a show talking about serial killers, bank robbers that would use for example a cigarette as a timer for them to hurry up and get him what he was asking for. Told them they had until their cigarette hits its butt or he was going to start killing hostages. Another used M&Ms, saying they had until the bag was empty til he started shooting unless they gave them the money out of the safes etc. So unless the real people got that idea from the cinema or the cinema got it from them lol
@Bryan Nicholas 😊
Damn good catch
@@dxxgx6713 thank you
From my perspective, The reason why Anton engaged his sociopathic tendencies was because the shop keeper openly admitted that he was watching Anton from the start.
Wow thats a great analysis👏👏
Yeah as an actual psychopath, I felt like this video's analysis didn't jive with how psychopaths think... but yes. That's what I got from watching this too.
He started out feeling like the guy was a threat, with the guy seeming a bit too observant to be left as a witness. Interrogating him further made him feel like less of a threat, for complicated reasons. Partly because Anton keeps threatening the guy, and the guy partly acts like he doesn't even understand the threat. The sigh was not stress exactly, it was impatience and aggression.
I also have a different view of the guy marrying into the gas station. I've heard analysis saying the exact opposite, but I'd actually probably admire that. Psychopaths are takers. I have a certain amount of respect for people who take what they want.
And I think the coin toss let the guy choose his own fate. Not that a psychopath really cares who is to blame, he just treats it more as a game, or it could even be a superstition I suppose.
Overall I liked this scene and felt it was pretty accurate, as I've been in situations where I had to gauge whether someone was to be trusted or not, and this is one way it could play out. My wife is also a psychopath and she generally only likes movies where people are getting murdered, and something about this one was still a bit too accurate for her. She kept looking at the movie and looking at me and finally she told me I shouldn't be watching it because it was a bad influence.
Yep that was trigger
Absolutely, dude treated him like a regular but as soon as he mentioned patterns he was on him immediately.
@@sato7320 lmao bruh
We all know Javier Bardem is a great actor but the beauty of this scene is that in order for it to truly work his terrifying character has to have an equally skilled actor to face off against. Gene Jones, the shopkeeper, is equally excellent here. Terrific scene, brilliantly acted.
The hateful 8
Yes... like that woman at the RV court. Amazing pairing.
@@joshuar3632 Was Gene in that?
This is probably one of the better videos that try to explain what's going on in the mind of Anton. The man is a psychopath and kills people either when they are of no more use to him of have become a problem or an annoyance but in cases like these gives them a 50/50 chance at living.
Idk he’s pretty illogical. Coin toss to kill someone or not for no practical gain.
@@serpentinewolf7085 the practical gain is one less person who's seen his face.
@@Twelvegage30 Which makes sense when you notice that Anton doesn't become distressed until the shopkeep commented on where he was from in his small talk.
@@serpentinewolf7085 you have to take into account that Anton is a Contract Killer so he's a paid killer, so the less people who know about him the better.
The reason why Anton takes an interest in the shopkeeper is because he took an interest in Anton, it was an intimidation technique that Anton was almost playing with, realising that he already knew where the shopkeeper lived and how he makes people uncomfortable, and probably has his entire life. What caused the requirement of the coin toss was Anton didn't see the man as having earnt the position he now inhabits. Anton almost choked on the chocolate bar when he says he married into it because up until this point the shopkeeper was nothing more than entertainment for him, but when he learned that life had gifted the shopkeeper the position and peace that he had, Anton understood that life had also put him there to act as the arbiter as to whether he was worthy of that privilege. The coin toss was merely the mechanism with which Anton allows the shopkeeper to make his case. In Anton's mind, if the shopkeeper chooses wrong then life has decided that he is not worthy and must be eliminated to restore the balance, but if he chooses right then he really has earnt that privilege and Anton can depart happy because he too believes the shop keeper to be worthy, despite being gifted his retirement through marriage. Anton never saw this man as a threat, whether he saw his face or not.
i have never realized that anton threatens to come back when the shop keep is asleep
For real though
That is literally so frightening. Imagine being asked what time you go to bed like that. Shivers, man
Funny thing, that moment Anton heard the shop keeper bring up his wife's g father place.
That was accidental improve, Bardem choked on the peanut, but kept going instead.
Which is funny because he continues to make strong eye contact, kinda solidifying that Anton is psychopathic lmao
I agree but isn’t saying “accidental improv” redundant?
@@MF_UNDERTOW LMAO
@@MF_UNDERTOW half
@@MF_UNDERTOW No because some improv is on purpose.
I was a correctional officer in a Texas prison, when I went to school for criminal justice, we learned so much about how to read a persons body language, it’s so much more then what a person is saying, it’s how you say it, what tone of voice, the eye movements, the moving of hands 🙌 or shoulders rolling forward/back, touching your face, biting your lip, crossing your legs while sitting down, standing shoulder width apart being well balanced so many things, working in a prison with people that are doing life for murders it comes in handy, great video
A lot of body language training in police like in interrogations is pretty bogus though no?
Different people’s body language means different things and vice versa
@@mareksicinski3726 That's why they usually engage in normal conversation first to analyze your normal body language, they'll look for notable deviations from the established body language.
I love the little moment when you know the shop keeper realizes his life is the thing being put up. He has that last look down at the coin, he then slowly brings his gaze up to Anton's and give that little sigh of acceptance.
Yes, the whole scene builds and builds to the moment the shopkeeper realizes what he is putting up, accepts it and commits himself to his fate. The whole thing is a movie by itself.
Both actors absolutely killed it in this scene.
This character truly spooked me. He looks and acts like my stepdad did (aside from the hair cut, lol. His face is very similar). He was an ex-marine who knew exactly how to get into your head and he was very physically abusive toward my brother and I as kids. To this day, my stepdad is the only person I know of who can intimidate me. I guess some good did come out of being raised by a psycho.
I'm sorry to hear that. Take your experiences and use them to benefit others. That is the best way, in my own personal experience, to help deal with trauma. I wish you the best and I'm sure you've got a handle on everything
I feel like he’s less manipulative and more cold or alien in this scene
tf do you mean "some good"?!
Ppl like him end up alone and as they get older, their power fades away.
@@johnvassey3851Becoming a man.
I've been a cinephile for most of my life with heavy leanings towards the horror, thriller, and suspense genres. This dialogue brought out a sense of dread and tension in me I've seldom if ever felt before in any other movie. It was like standing on the craters edge of a dormant volcano and hearing the ground begin to rumble. I heard it took Bardem many months to get his head out of the dark places he went while performing this role.
Why did it?
@@mareksicinski3726 A lot of the top actors achieve their performances by putting themselves in the 'mindset' of their characters (particularly method actors), and if that character they are portraying goes against their own moral compass it tends to leave them a bit shaken that they'd find themselves able to think that way. Imagine having a bad thought and shaking it off with, "I'd never actually DO that" but having to do it constantly as part of your job.
I can't thank u enough for this,I'm tryna be an actor and no classes are available now,and the fact that ur explaining what every small expression means is helping me understand what I must do with my expressions based on a scene
Glad to be of help!
I never really have been able to decide what Antoine's inner workings were like. Your line about him thinking in a logical and calm way, and being perturbed by people who don't kinda unlocked some ideas. Antoine as a character seems like a man trying desperately to find logic in a chaotic world. The moment something cracks his calm, whether it be a person or an idea, he can't fall to his irrationally violent tendencies, because that would be falling to chaos. The act of the flipping the coin is him assigning a logic to the chaotic. "I am in control of myself, and if I feel chaos coming, I take it out of my hand, and put into this coin". It mirrors the convo he had earlier with the woman who tried to explain to him that he did have choices, but he doesn't believe it.
The shopkeeper recognized quick that Anton was dangerous and tried to give him as little information as possible, such as where he lived. The shopkeeper is stuck there, the shop is his life, he even lives behind it. To him Anton is a monster, someone who could come back to the store at any time, maybe every day, and make him miserable. Anton is being a bully.
For sure. Javier played that scene a little too realistically. I guess that's what makes him a good actor.
@@lindahandley5267
He got into it. You can practically smell the creepy on him.
I think we have all had an experience similar to this, but not to this degree. I had to shake a psycho a few times. It wasn't as simple as this. Anton went on his way. One of my psychos worked where I worked. It was horrible. He looked like Robert Dinero in 'Cape Fear', greased back hair, permanent scowl. One day everything was fine, next day I'm living in fear. I had to take the pictures of my kids off my locker lest he see a way to affect me. He was fresh out of prison, looking for a punk, looking for someone to pick him up for work, drive him home, take him to the store. He targeted me because I'm a nice guy. Anyway, it was hard, I had to play it like I was tough. I was scared. I was working at a factory shucking clams, so the place wasn't exactly civilized, I had to deal with this violent freak alone. He was playing jail house mind games on me. Sometimes it was subtle, like ask me, 'So Nelson, do you workout?' It was 2 rough weeks, then like magic, problem... no problem... his sister had him committed to a mental hospital and he was gone. He really was psycho!
He wasn't the worst. The worst terrorized a whole neighborhood. He was good at it. 8 years straight in prison, he had his intimidation tactics down.
@NELSON X...That's some scary story! I've been sitting here thinking back over my life if I'd ever been in contact with anyone like that and I haven't, except for my work situation, not on a personal level. I certainly have been around people where red flags shot up and made me feel very uncomfortable. I usually avoided them at all costs, but you didn't have much of a choice!
I retired from the mental health field and I know how a psychotic person acts. I had a few close calls, but managed to talk my way out of getting hurt. There were a lot of my co-workers that DID. You can be having a somewhat sane conversation with them and they could come at you out of left field. I had a lot of compassion and empathy for them though and used to think, 'but for the grace of God, there go I.' I'm glad you got out safely! Thanks for sharing!
@@nelsonx5326 what about "so nelson, do you like working out" did you dislike/stood out as a mindgame? Maybe he was a workout nerd and akwardly trying to bond? I mean the rest of which you said was quite chilling but this one made me curious
@@dasitmane7590
I left a long comment detailing the experience. RUclips must have taken it down. Not the first time they have taken down a true story by me. It took me a couple hours to write the story. I'm very upset about being censored. I worked pretty hard on the story, making sure it could be understood and pictured.
He was not bonding with the workout thing. I was sitting in my car waiting for my buddy. The nasty guy walked behind my car. I could see him in my rearview mirror. He disappeared like he fell into an open manhole. In my sideview mirror I could see his legs going up and down level with the ground. He was doing push-ups. It was right after that he asked me if I work out. Besides that, he had been trying to make me his punk, jailhouse style where he bosses me around and I basically told him 'It aint me babe'. The psychological terror didn't work, now he was displaying his physical strength.
YASS I was waiting for this one!
:D
i watch your stuff
@@enigmabodylanguage can you do the movie "unbreakable"
@@wdwwdwddwdwwd I watch you.
This scene, along with Hans Landa and the French farmer are the scariest spider and fly scenes in the movies.
One of my absolute favourite movie scenes thank you for covering it
My pleasure
same!
Both actors were amazing in this scene. The tension was so damn intense.
After watching this breakdown I re-watched No Country for Old Men and there is a scene shortly after this one where Anton talks to a female property manager who makes incredible eye contact with Anton. She never breaks eye contact with Anton and is even a little snarky with him and I think it would be a great scene for you to break down where you can compare and contrast the behavior of the gas station attendant with the property manager.
Indeed, although that is not such a legendary scene, I think it would have made sense to get into it a bit in this video because it is the complete opposite.
Not only does she hold eye contact with him, she stands by her principles and as absolutely no-nonsense about it. It was clear that Anton was unnerved by that and I think he really did not want to kill that woman since she showed all the traits he respects. It made him hesitate long enough until the toilet flushes and he realizes that backing off would be the smart thing to do.
@@windsaw151 the toilet flush told him there were others there. he decided to not press further.
@@toomanyaccounts Of course. Her resolve just made him hesitate long enough for this to happen.
This is the comment I was looking for. The property manager is different from everybody else Anton meets. She knows what she will and won't do and she won't be intimidated. She even does a little jump at Chigurh to intimidate him. Yeah, maybe she got lucky with the toilet, with not knowing him, and with not being bright enough to get scared. Still, she rattled Anton and he left as much from confusion as running out of time. Intimidation was his tool to control everybody. She wasn't having it. Coen's are cool.
I have to disagree. The lack of eye contact at the beginning of the scene is dismissiveness, not confidence. Anton doesn’t give a shit about the shop keeper and he’d like to keep it that way. Unfortunately the gas station owner interrupted his day which sets him off. Anton can’t stand dealing with petty things and petty people (that’s they way he judges people). Anton has a very high opinion of himself. He gets to play god with a quarter. Anton believes this mans life is so pathetic that he’d be doing him a favor by giving him a chance to die. He also relieves himself of the actual burden of judgement by leaving the murder up to chance. In Anton’s mind if he leaves it up to chance it’s not really him causing the death. It’s more of an existential threat. It’s sick and twisted logic.
Your analysis is spot on as always and yes two face is a perfect comparison to the coin flip in this scene.
Thank you
@@enigmabodylanguage don’t mention it this is why I subscribed to your channel.
Will say a coin flip with Anton might be genuinely more terrifying than one with (Dark Knight) Two Face.
@@Twelvegage30 agree with you here.
I like to think that Anton looks down at the floor during the coin toss because he’s submissive to the coin toss itself. The coin is now making Anton’s next move. So he doesn’t try to take any control over it-
I also feel like he’s submissive towards the coin because it’s his only reasoning to kill someone. If they choose their own fate, then he’s just there to incite it. But HE did not choose weather to kill them or not.
The Shopkeeper nearly loses his life for asking a simple, friendly, question. Anton is a horrifying, yet incredibly intelligent, psycho.
Also, for a video suggestion; could you do the standoff scene from TWD S2E8: Nebraska?
Ooo good idea
He is extremely cold and detached / twisted
No Country for Old Men is a brilliant film. One of my absolute favorites!
If the rule brought you to this, of what good was the rule?
@@senorpepper3405 Do you have any idea how crazy you are?
Chigurh is such an interesting character. Would love to see more videos on him, or psychopaths in general.
he's a very interesting character I agree. the problem is that he's not realistic at all
@Sean Deli it seems like you're desperately trying to act like someone else rather than yourself. From what you've said, I'd say you're a fake person. Don't ever bother responding with some bullshit excuse or "attack"
@Sean Deli If you can take control of a situation and people like Chigurh does in this scene, you would be leading multinational corporations, running for president, etc. You wouldn't be wasting such immense presence and getting your kicks from annoying random people.
You also wouldn't feel the need to lower yourself to answer a random comment on youtube, things such as this would be so below you, it wouldn't even register.
You're unable to write without making constant grammatical errors, you can't even form sentences properly. What I think is happening when you're "maniplulating" is people notice how awkward you are and through pity adjust their behavior to accommodate you to help you feel less insecure.
@@zyxyx6754 that's hilariously accurate. I don't think I've seen anyone put an edgelord back in their box quite as succinctly. Bravo
@Sean Deli wow so edgy. ur such a dork
Suggestion if you would run out of videos analyzing : Hannibal TV Series, most interesting character to focus on would be Hannibal at least in my opinion, someone else might disagree.
Sure
@@enigmabodylanguage Thank you, really appreciated.
Or Will Grahm, both equally compelling characters, just for different reasons.
This is the best movie ever made. Idc what anyone says. This right here is the best movie ever
They stole this scene from Batman of all things
@@mgway4661 what?
@@asincereman5297 The 'live or die' coin toss is something that 'Two-face ' does in the batman movies.
You ever watch inglorious bastards? There’s really good scenes too, in the beginning of the movie and in the middle when their at a bar asking about the peoples accents
@@chuysontest4425 I didn't but I'm gonna check it out. Thanks
I'd like to see you go over breaking bad I'm on season three and damn there's a ton of scenes that I like
YESS! I made a comment suggesting this and one other movie. I am so glad you that not only saw this movie but also made a video analyzing it!
Thank you!
The actor that plays the shopkeeper was amazing in this scene. It looks like the crew hid a camera in the store and put Javier to talk to an innocent person...
Excellent analysis. Thank you. This is one of my favorite movie scenes.
Thanks :D
i had requested this several times,thank you sir for making this .great work as usual!!
Yes. Thank you for listening to your audience. Great breakdown
It's fascinating how quickly human beings can recognize a potential dangerous situation. The shopkeeper recognized so quickly that this guy was to be taken seriously.
Body language was everything in this scene. And they nailed it.
I wasn't too big of a fan of the movie as a whole. But this scene in particular was great.
The shopkeeper's age was a huge factor. The scene wouldn't have worked if he was a young guy. An older guy has been around and knows how to recognize a dangerous person quite quickly. A younger guy most likely would have acted cocky and gotten himself killed. No coin toss necessary.
@@gardenofeels6872 Fair point. They say the brain isn't fully developed until around age 25.
They also say that 70-90 percent of communication is nonverbal.
This scene is all about the nonverbal communication.
Amazing review! You should do some videos on American Psycho, it’s a masterpiece and Christian Bales acting is incredible in it.
Thank you! I will do more American Psycho videos
He already did one, the business card scene!
omg YES
YEEEEES this is the one I was hoping for!!!
Poor old man situation was so tense he probably went home and had a heart attack
Nice analysis. The actor of the killer is brilliant!
Absolutely!
I kinda thought anton is just kinda paranoid his job was to get the money and everything seems to go wrong and this random shop keeper kept asking questions
questions that didn't need to be asked in the first place.
The cough was actually real! That amazed me every time!!! Perfect imperfect timing
I know it's 2 years later but should do the scene with the trailer secretary
Analyse aside, both actors Gene Jones and Javier Bardem were brilliant!
Amazing analysis. I absolutely love this movie. if you could, I would love it if you also look at the scene were Anton confronts Carson Wells.
Yesss! Been wanting this one for ages. Thanks man.
Love your videos!
Thank you!
The more i watch analysis of this character the more i realize there may be something wrong with me
Anton is a man of few words. The words he does use, however, have a purpose. He’s not one for small talk. In my opinion, he would’ve left without incident if the shopkeeper hadn’t brought up useless topics, as implied by the “you don’t know what you’re talking about, do you?”. This scene was executed perfectly.
Here’s an odd one, but it might be cool- what about 2005 King Kong? Andy Serkis did the facial and body motion capture and there are some impressive shots in that movie
I think this scene does a very good job at showing that passivity only gets you so far. We naturally have fight or flight, but if the person wants to bring harm to you and you can't get out you are better off fighting than dying.
I got lucky in a way, learned that lesson at 13, next door neighbors tried to stab me so they could rob us and fence our stuff for meth money. I fought and lived because of it. I have since had to deal with people trying to start fights because of whatever stupid justification and Everytime I've managed to talk them out of getting their asses killed. Had a dude pull a gun on me a couple months ago and I was fully ready to cross the line and kill him if that's what it took to live, and that scared the everloving shit out of him and got me out of the situation. Sometimes showing someone that you are willing to do anything to stay alive is enough to scare em off because most people aren't actually willing to put their life on the line when threatening someone else's. Also people don't realize if your life is in danger, better to roll the bones that are weighted with your own skills than put your fate entirely in the hands of someone with malicious intent in the first place. I don't own a gun or anything for self defense, I just have PTSD and a survival instinct that takes over when someone threatens my well being.
Funny thing too, once you've actually had your life on the line like that trivial everyday bullshit stops bothering you because you know the one thing that matters, you are still breathing.
I don't think that the actor who plays the shopkeeper gets enough credit in this scene. I've only seen him in one other thing. I believe that he played a pharmacist in the show, Louie.
I’m a little late to the comment but if you liked the actor who played the shopkeeper check out a movie called The Sacrament. He plays a cult leader and is very good as well.
Anton choked because he realized the shopkeeper didnt work for what he had , he married into his wife's family business making the shopkeeper in Antons eyes less than a man. Anton is the quintessential Alpha male in the room.
We need a Two-face movie like this.
Javier truly terrified me to the core in this movie. Such an amazing actor.......along with the shop keeper in this video.
Once again this is an awesome video and I can't wait to see if and when he covers either the "bunnies are good at multiplying" scene from zootopia or anything from cars or Lion King
Interestingly he doesn't actually act like he does in the book. The directors chose cold, precision over his removed and cynical sense of humor. It still shines through at times, but he was more unassuming in the book, and certainly younger appearing. He was like the young blood city type that made all the old yokels who are still attached to a hospitality no longer found in the inner city. He's essentially moving through easy territory and it's pretty easy for him to take advantage of those types and he gets a huge kick out of it in the book. He mocks people's accents like a little kid, etc. He's fascinated with how prey-like they are. It's great.
Aye yooooo wtf you do care 😍 bro thank you for following up on my request love you @Enigma 6th like
Congrats
My pleasure!
@@enigmabodylanguage the weird thing was that I was recommended the video literally 5 mins before you posted
Anton believes that he is an agent of fate. Thus the coin toss. In this way, he does not have to take personal responsibility for his actions.
Thank you for analysing this scene, I was waiting for it for a long time
My favorite movie/villain, great video. Keep em coming, have you done Se7en (Box scene)?
Now I really want to see a video analyzing the "Harvey Dent and Moroni in the car" and the "Batman confronts Harvey Dent/Twoface at 2552nd Street" scenes from the Dark Knight.
Kudos also for the actor playing the gas station owner, and the one playing the woman at the RV court. Their reactions to Bardem's "Chigurh" helps him play off of their personalities.
"Did yew not he-ar me? We cain't give out that in-for-MA-tion."
Enigma... you MUST do the scene where Anton confronts the secretary at the mobile home park. Because Anton appears to respond to the secretary asserting herslef and he slinks away. Would be amazing for you to review.
Toilet flush. She wasn't alone. Rewatch.
@@nickmeyer238 , does not matter. He had no problem killing 3 in the hotel room and 2 at the scene of the failed drug deal. Why would two old people worry him? I see no evidence he left because of the other person in the toilet.
@@rufuspipemos fair enough. Could be right. Just how I saw it. Leave no witnesses.
@@nickmeyer238 , I wonder if he let the accountant live in the office?
@@rufuspipemos I think so. He "didn't see him."
I found you and was impressed with your reading of a " Karen" but how you broke down this incredible scene is easily just as fascinating and speaks volumes at how well everyone involved with the movie put it together, starting of course with the actors.
I love the Harvey Dent effect in your video.
This killer acts only in surprise or from behind. He also sends off waves of being a very dangerous man. I wanted that character graveyard dead before movies end. The character Lewellen almost did it. I guess I had to settle with him having life changing and crippling injuries at the end of the show. There are actually men like this out there.Never take your eyes off them, never turn your back.
He didn’t make eye contact until the shop keeper assumed to know where he was coming from. If not for that, that he would’ve stayed largely invisible.
Ah what a film. You do the videos we don't deserve, but the ones we need. 😂
This is one of the best acting scenes in modern cinema. Anton is so incredibly menacing. Just diabolic.
The part in the scene where he gags a little on he nut bar that he is eating, I alway thought that that was actually him doing that because he did have a tiny piece of the chocolate bar lodged for a second in he’s throat and instead of the brothers doing another take just kept the cameras rolling. I like this part of the scene because it shows that cool calm and calculating Aton is human after all. Yes psychopaths do have accidents with nut bars or a piece of nut bar lodging in their throat. But as it turns out Anton is disgusted with the store owning for taking advantage of a women he probably didn’t love and married her for her family’s money. Something in Anton’s upbringing maybe or he didn’t like people who rip people off. Anton kills people yet he doesn’t like con artists or people that take things that don’t belong to them like Llewellyn taking the bag of money. What intrigued me with Llewellyn is that he never tipped the money out onto a table to examine the contents of the bag. I would have done this myself to see if it was only money in there. There could have been something in the bottom of the bag, drugs, or a gun, out there in the Mexican desert a snake could of curled up in the bag. I am just one of those people that checks everything. I always wondered why Lewellyn went back to the scene of the shoot out that night. That would be one place I would never return to. People say he went back to give the dying Mexican some water. The guy was an hour away from dying so why bother. That scene didn’t make sense to me. Someone said that he got greedy and went back for the bags of drugs. I think the latter makes more sense. That dam tracker that was in the bag and the fact that Llewellyn went back to the scene of the shoot out was he’s fate. Even when he ditched the tracker it was too late for Llewellyn everything just fell apart from there. I remember the scene when he found the tracker in the bag and I said to myself for goodness sake why didn’t you check the bag when you first found it.
Please react to the jerome interrogation scene from gotham
Finally! Thank you! Been waiting a long time for this day 🥳🥳
Imagine the level of acting when your character can be analysed like that
He didn’t actually pay the shop keeper another brilliant part about this scene that most people don’t notice.
This man is talking about eye contact and body language. In a pitch black room where we see less than half of his face and almost no expression or body language. Dude just do a voice over then.
One of the greatest acting scenes in movie history
“That became your lucky quarter”
I would have a heart attack right on the spot
He's not frustrated with the coin toss. He's not bothered with the outcome of the toss and the result that the outcome, he is merely following the rules of his philosophy. The sigh is one of boredom and going through the motions he would kill him but for the ritual of the coin toss. He's saying here we go again... Everyone gets their chance
the fact that you analyze body language from fictional movie scenes like this only compliment their amazing acting
This scene... After it ends, I've realized I was holding my breath almost the whole time
Another excellent video! I recommend the scene from The Thing where they're testing the blood.
American psycho and no country for old men are both my favorite psychopath/serial killer movies ever
Anton never even pays for the gas or peanuts. What a life hack, just threatening the clerk gets you some complimentary Planters and 87 octane.
Are there any signs that the shopkeeper thought Anton might be about to kill him?
Anton never paid for the gas
Yupppppp :)
Good breakdown. I'll have to watch this movie again. As Psychopaths go I also like Jules from Pulp Fiction. He functions differently.
Thank you? And yeah he is interesting
Ayyy been waiting for this one
He couldn't be bothered killing this guy but, you know, the code.
You have to wonder how it would play out if they both had bowl cuts.
I don't know how I got here but I suddenly thought about halfway through, why am I watching Sheldon Cooper explain the psychology of a scene from a film I saw years ago?
He felt compelled to kill the man, because he identified that he came from Dallas, something which could be noted if police asked questions.
I just stumbled across your channel by pure chance, watched two videos and well.. instant sub. great content, to the point, no bs and great delivery. keep doing what you're doing, because you sure do it well!
Not sure why the analyst looks like he's in a movie interrogation room.
Oh and really great analyses, thank you!
that hair is crazy lol
Directors' choice, they wanted it to look unnatural and have the character come off as unnatural.
I think the raising of the eyebrows in the end is not friendly but rather a threatening signal. It is like saying: "You better listen or else.."
When he coughs, he actually choked on a peanut that he was eating but they kept it in
He doesn't want to be seen or noticed. The same happens with the lawyer. He literally asks "do you see me"
The only person who is stressed in this scene is the shopkeeper. Anton is a psychopath and psychopaths don't feel much stress. Anton isn't feeling threatened by the shopkeeper, he's toying with him. It satisfies his sadistic mind making other people shit themselves out of fear.
"he's a psychopatic killer and that makes communication difficult" - made me chuckle, no shit Sherlock 😅
When Anton looks to the ground after the coin toss its not because of frustration its because of empathy and sadness that he might have to kill another one
Anton Chigurh is considered by many certified experts on the subject of Psychopathy to be the most accurate depiction of a Psychopath put to media, he is cold, calculated, doesn't care for societal norms, lacks empathy and possesses a genuine, subtle sense of superiority above all other humans, yet if you total all of the traits presented by his character through both the book and / or its film adaptation, you will find he only sits at most at 14/40 on the hare psychopathy checklist, the official criteria used to diagnose psychopaths in the real world, to put this into perspective; you need a score of at least 30/40 to be considered a clinical psychopath.