The Coen brothers are true filmmakers who employ a certain amount of mastery and art and variety to their work that few directors can match. Joel and Ethan Coen are so good at what they do that they can make any sort of film all sorts of watchable. Here’s something that could connect their movies stylistically though: the point of view shot.
Jacob T. Swinney sums it up nicely, writing:
With a filmography that covers everything from westerns and gangster flicks to comedies and film noir, it can be rather difficult to pinpoint what exactly contributes to the style of Joel and Ethan Coen. While there are reoccurring themes and ideas that surface throughout the filmmakers’ work, a consistent visual aesthetic is not easily recognized. What makes a Coen Brothers film look like a Coen Brothers film? One stylistic element that seems to be rather prominent in all their films is the POV shot. The Coens tend to utilize the POV shot to better submerse us in a scene, but the shot is often used to simply give us a unique perspective that can only be created through cinema. Here is a look at the Coens’ use of the POV shot throughout their career.
