In /Film’s interview with “Nope” editor Nicholas Monsour, he explains how the aftermath of Gordy’s rampage was a happy accident on Peele’s part:
“One thing that was not scripted but was all Jordan’s intuition was to put the flashes of Gordy at the beginning of the film. Again, that’s such an important place in a movie, obviously, the first few images you see. I think it gives you, when viewing the movie, a real clear sense of the importance of that storyline to the meaning of the whole movie. Also, it sets the tone and creeps you out quite a bit.”
The delirious nature of putting Gordy at the top of “Nope” without any context works so well to set up the bone-chilling frights that follow. It’s like Peele saying, “you came here for a spectacle, and you’re about to get one. Do you like what you see?” And the answer is a complicated one. When you pair that moment against the overarching themes of “Nope,” which is ultimately about the exploitation, spectacle, and the complicity of the viewers, it takes on a whole other level of menace. I had no idea what to make of it initially, but one thing was for sure, Peele was about to take us on another dangerous ride.
