No country for old men is a chase story where a man with stolen drug money is hunted by a vicious and unstoppable killer. The story of the film is set in 1980, West Texas. The film deals with three main characters Llewelyn Moss, Anton Chigurh and Sheriff Bell. When Llewelyn Moss runs away with the two million dollars from the bad drug deal then Anton follows him with a trail of murder and mayhem.
The screenplay is based on Cormac McCarthy’s bestseller of the same name.
The majority of the film is shot in daylight of West Texas. The film deals with greed, crime and death. The landscape of Texas acts as another character to intensify these elements. Cinematographer Roger Deakins chose to desaturate the daylight shots using bleach bypass (Image 1). This served dual purpose of setting the period look of the film as well as intensifying the harshness and brutality of West Texas. It immediately helps in setting the grim mood.
(Image 1)
Thematically the film is about the greed of human being and what disaster it can lead to if left unchecked. Llewelyn Moss although a good natured person couldn’t control his greed and that ultimately leads to his death. There are two interesting instances in the film which can be called as “moments of realization” for Llewelyn Moss. Both the instances uses similar kind of lighting technique where light comes filtered from the window when he just wakes up realizing something. In the first instance (Image 2) he wakes up in the middle of the night feeling guilty for not giving water to a dying drug dealer. This guilt is a turning point in his life as it leads to his ultimate demise. In the second instance (Image 3) he wakes up suddenly in a room in Hotel Eagle realizing why he is so easily trackable. Both the instances employs similar composition of bird eye’s view shot of Llewelyn in bed with light falling from the window creating an interesting pattern of light and dark on his face. It gives an indication of his character which is a mix of both – greed driven yet still likable. The screen shots below shows the above mentioned compositions.
(Image 2)
(Image 3)
Movement
The film employs both static framing as well as tracking shots although most of the time static framing is used. The film opens with a montage of wide shots of West Texas countryside starting with night and finally becoming day time. There is no movement at all and the whole series of shots uses static wide angle framing. Some of the screen captures are shown below (Image 4, from left to right and then down).
(Image 4)
The movement in the film feels natural and motivated. Usually the tracking shots are used when either we are following a character(s) point of view or we are getting closer to a point of interest. Since the film takes place in Texas countryside so tracking shots are also used in wide angle shots to reveal the harsh landscape. In a way the landscape also gives a sense of mortal threat for Llewelyn Moss. There are instances where handheld shots are also used to show character’s Point of View. The screenshot (Image 5) below show one such instance.
(Image 5, the above shots are mostly handheld shots from Moss’s Point of View)
Framing
The overall shot types of film can be divided in two main parts:
1.Wide angle shots: In this film the country side of West Texas is shown as another character which is barren and ruthless. It sets the dark tone of the film. The best way to capture this character is by using wide angle shots which is used extensively in the film. There are static as well as tracking shots when a character is followed or character is following something. Some of the example shots are below:
(Image 6)
2.Over the shoulder Shots: The film apart from its chase theme is a serious character study and therefore has many sequences where exposition is done through amazing dialog. There are many sequences where the over the shoulder framing is used. Some of the shots below show different variants of over the shoulder style of framing.
(Image 7)
Visual Metaphors:
Metaphors are scattered at all over the film. Some of them that help in accentuating the tone of the film are described below:
1. Anton as a ghost: Anton has been portrayed as an absolute evil. He commits murder with no remorse and he slips in and out of the scene of crime like a ghost. There are various places where this theme is underscored. In the opening sequence when he is arrested by a trooper he almost looks invisible in the backseat of the car. In another scene when he goes to Moss’s mobile home he looks at his reflection in the television and it almost looks like a ghost in the machine. When he is chasing Moss outside the hotel he is again shown in a glass on the front door of a store. Some of the above shots are shown below.
(Image 8, vertical ellipse in third image represents Anton visible in glass window of store)
2.Warning to Llewelyn Moss: Before Llewelyn Moss goes to the place where drug deal happened a black dog is shown which in most culture is a bad omen and usually represents death. It is shown as a warning to Llewelyn for not to go ahead as it’ll lead to his demise.
This is one of the finest collaboration of Coen Brothers and Roger Deakins. The film is visually rich and Deakins’ cinematography perfectly captured the dark tone in moral wasteland of West Texas. It is a film which will make people interpret the ending for years. Unlike most of the Hollywood film there is no closure to the story. But as most of the film theorists agree if you provide a closure to the story you are not giving your audience any food for thought.
As famous writer Gene Wolf said, “Ambiguity is necessary in some of my stories, not in all. In those, it certainly contributes to the richness of the story.”
sachinwalia.wordpress.com 