The Embodiment of Evil - The Antagonist of the Coen's Work
One thing that seems to be constant throughout the works of the Coen brothers is the "evil en carnet" villain; the antagonist who seems unstoppable, immoral, and, in short, a scary bamf. In the three films we watched in class (Raising Arizona, Fargo, and No Country for Old Men), this character was not only one of (if not the) driving forces in the movie, but he was the character that most caught/catches the audience's attention and interest.
In the first movie of the Coen's we watched, Raising Arizona, we met a character dubbed "the Hog From Hell" Leonard Smalls (played by Randall "Tex" Cobb), who destroys everything in his path, as he appears to literally be the embodiment of H.I.'s (Nicholas Cage) guilt over the kidnapped baby. Later, in Fargo, the blond, silent kidnapper seems inhuman in his killing of the innocent and rather brutal means of disposing of the bodies (wood chipper? seriously?). Then in No Country, we meet Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a hitman who has only one thing on his mind: the pursuit of the money found by Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) and the disposal of all those unfortunate to stand in his way.
In all three movies the main characters are confronted with this seemingly unstoppable evil, and it seems rare that they come out on top in the end, even if they end up being victorious.
And on a side note, the antagonists have rediculous names. Leanord Smalls for the bike rider from hell? and Chigurh (Sugar)? are you kidding?
In the first movie of the Coen's we watched, Raising Arizona, we met a character dubbed "the Hog From Hell" Leonard Smalls (played by Randall "Tex" Cobb), who destroys everything in his path, as he appears to literally be the embodiment of H.I.'s (Nicholas Cage) guilt over the kidnapped baby. Later, in Fargo, the blond, silent kidnapper seems inhuman in his killing of the innocent and rather brutal means of disposing of the bodies (wood chipper? seriously?). Then in No Country, we meet Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a hitman who has only one thing on his mind: the pursuit of the money found by Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) and the disposal of all those unfortunate to stand in his way.
In all three movies the main characters are confronted with this seemingly unstoppable evil, and it seems rare that they come out on top in the end, even if they end up being victorious.
And on a side note, the antagonists have rediculous names. Leanord Smalls for the bike rider from hell? and Chigurh (Sugar)? are you kidding?
