Rarely do people find themselves rooting for the other team. In The Hunger Games movie, the audience is coaxed into supporting Katniss and Peeta: the underdog Tributes from District 12. Viewers become emotionally attached to the "star crossed lovers" because they have seen all the trials and tribulations that brought them to the finale of the Games. However, Cato, the Career tribute from District 2, is given an opportunity in his final moments to win over the audience in his own way. After displaying relentless brutality towards Katniss and Peeta on top of the Cornucopia, he gets trapped and knows that his time to die has come. The contrast between the battle of the remaining Tributes and Cato's last monolog reveals a new perspective for the audience. Cato's animalistic qualities that have been showcased throughout the film are overshadowed by a pitiful speech of a scared little boy. By looking at how the filmmakers portray Cato's death scene and how much time was allotted for it, we can see that even though he appeared dehumanized by The Hunger Games, Cato was still a vulnerable kid. This is important because the audience is left with no choice but to sympathize for him even though he was previously viewed as a villain. 
	
To understand the shift in Cato's character during this scene, it is vital to not only regard the action on screen, but the use of background noise. The music in the battle sequence is familiar to that of any action movie. Suspense builds as the volume of the music rises and sets a tone of impending doom for one unlucky Tribute. When the fight breaks, the music stops simultaneously. Throughout Cato's monolog, the background music is barely audible, placing the focus on him and his words. Now, the audience stops being influenced by the intensity of the music and is left wanting to listen to what Cato has to say.
 
The music is not the only thing the audience hears in the background of this scene. The barking of the Muttations is cleverly used by the filmmakers to reveal Cato's evolving role. The growls of the monsters at the foot of the Cornucopia blend with Cato's grunts: turning them into a collective enemy opposing Katniss and Peeta. The difference between Cato and the Mutts is barely distinguishable. This displays the already familiar animalistic Cato. But, just as the music dies down when Cato starts to speak in the second half of the scene, the dogs become drowned out by his voice. While he speaks, his previous impression as a monster is overcome by the weakness that he previously hid so well. 
	
The distinction between the two halves of this scene can also be exhibited in the camerawork. The battle is very fast: with a quickly moving camera and choppy cuts between the Tributes and the dogs below. It's hard to focus on a single character because everything is moving so suddenly. However, when it reaches the second part of the scene, the frantic movements of the camera abruptly stop. The editing becomes much cleaner as the focus shifts to the actual faces of the Tributes. This gives the viewer a chance to get a good look at who these people are and what they are feeling. Cato's exhaustion is revealed in his eyes, which the viewer never had the opportunity to see. The positive connection formed between Cato and the audience at this stage in the Games is unlikely because of his antagonistic role to Katniss and Peeta. But, now that they are given the opportunity to get more than just a glimpse of his face during a battle, the audience pities him rather than anxiously anticipating his death like they had with the previous Tributes (excluding Rue).  The transformation from a vengeful monster to frustrated teenager can be observed in this contradiction set up in this scene.
	
The filmmakers made a clear decision to spend more time focusing on Cato's death than the other Tributes. His final monolog vocalizes what can already be seen all over his face. For the first time, he appears weak: with blood smeared across his forehead and tears in his eyes. His voice cracks as he admits to Katniss and Peeta that he's "dead anyway" and that he "always was". This is not the Cato seen earlier in the film who laughed as he drew his sword to effortlessly murder another Tribute. He has Peeta in a headlock during his speech, and even though he could snap his neck at any moment, he doesn't. Cato knows there isn't a point because he's already lost. The humanity left inside him holds him back and allows his death to be that much more noble. His own demise is inevitable, so why should he add to the death count? And with this, the viewers no longer see Cato as a ruthless killing machine, but a terrified teenager: much like the beloved Katniss and Peeta. The goal of this scene is to remind the audience that each Tribute was a kid with real emotions and feelings: even the ones they didn't like. 
	
By the time Cato's death actually occurs, the audience doesn't end up excited. They won't cheer because Katniss and Peeta are finally the victors. They are left feeling somber and confused. It becomes understood that Cato was never really the enemy; there was a force much larger working against all the Tributes in the Games: The Capitol. The injustice of the Hunger Games seemed less obvious before because of the universal acceptance by all of the characters. However, Cato hints to the oppression of the Capitol and his District in his last words and it is immediately recognized that they should have all be on the team: one united against the Capitol.

