From the very beginning of 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 witness all the trials and tribulations that bring 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 toward 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 teenage boy. By looking at how the filmmakers portray Cato's death scene and how much time they allot for it, we can see that even though he appears dehumanized by the Hunger Games, Cato is just another vulnerable tribute. This is important because the audience is left sympathizing with 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 pay attention to the action on screen, but also the use of background noise. The music used in the battle sequence between the three remaining tributes 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 solely on his speech. At this point in the film, the audience stops being influenced by the intensity of the music and is left hanging on Cato's every word. 
	
The music is not the only audio in the background of this scene. The filmmakers cleverly use the barking of the Muttations to reveal Cato's evolving role. At the introduction of this scene, 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 vulnerability he previously hid so well. Even though the sounds from the dogs were so overwhelming before, his voice ends up overpowering them. The significance in this context reveals that not only he is a strong character that he can take focus away from terrifying monsters, but also that he is more than just an animal. He is better than the Muttations and proves that in his final goodbye. 
	
The distinction between the two parts 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 half 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 really see. A positive connection between Cato and the audience at this stage in the Games is unlikely because of his antagonistic role toward Katniss and Peeta. However, now that they are given the opportunity to get more than just a quick glimpse of his face during a battle, the audience pities him rather than anxiously anticipating his death like they had with the previous Career Tributes with whom they did not become emotionally attached to.  Through the contradiction set up in this scene, Cato is transformed from a vengeful monster to frustrated teenager.  
	
The filmmakers made a conscious decision to spend more time focusing on Cato's death than most of 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. If the roles were reversed and Peeta had Cato trapped, he wouldn't have hesitated and Cato would be dead in an instant: not because Peeta is a heartless killer, but in the fact that he is still a player and would do anything to win. But Cato doesn't. He knows there isn't a point because he already lost. Katniss has him cornered and regardless of whether he kills Peeta, he's a dead man. The humanity left inside him holds him back and allows his death to be 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 is a kid with real emotions: even the ones they didn't like. 
	
By the time Cato's death actually occurs, the audience isn't necessarily excited. They won't cheer because Katniss and Peeta are finally the victors. They are left somber and confused. They realize 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 been on the same team: one united against the Capitol.

