No Country for Old Men - Opening scenes
No Country for Old Men - Opening scenes
The sheriff is the first character the audience meets even though his face is not shown in the scene. The vulnerability of his voice while telling his life story and his fears of the near future, makes the audience instantly believe that he is the “good guy” in this film – the character the audience should side with. Accompanying the country accentuated voice over, the camera shows the countryside from dawn until afternoon. This helps the audience to visualise Sheriff Bell’s story about his family and his worries. His character opens up to the audience from the beginning about his fears of the unknown and the changing nature of crime. His soulful and passionate voice full of sincerity wins the audience over and, assuming the genre of the film as a western, he is seen as the hero or “good” main character instantly.
The sheriff goes on saying “I always knew you had to be willing to die to even do this job” while on screen a man in handcuffs is being taken by a deputy to the car. A perfect personification of opposites on screen: chaos and order. The audience is encouraged to assume that that is him doing his job, only to learn later that is not the case.
Bell’s comments on the uncomprehending growing criminality and his fear of it proves to be true when Chigurh’s special weapon is put in the front seat of the car. An atypical object to have when being arrested, which only reassures the statement that things used to be simpler when Bell started this job. It seems that what he had to face seemed to be getting very complex. Nothing compared to the simplicity he signed up for.
The first time Chigurh appears on camera his face is avoided, making the audience perceive that he is dangerous and mysterious. Meanwhile, he is also being taken in handcuffs to a police car, so it is easy to assume that he is the antagonist that represents “evil” – the character that is going to fight the sheriff, like in any western film. The car goes down the road with a cop and a detained man in it, who the audience are uninformed of what he did to be in that position in the first place.
The camera cuts to the police station, where Chigurh is being processed. Behind the inexperienced deputy who is notifying the arrest to his superior, Chigurh’s face is blurred and unclear while sitting in the dark. He moves slowly, making his way up to him, taking advantage of his distraction and unawareness. Ironically, the man informs through the phone that he’s “got it under control” just when Chigurh puts his handcuffs around his throat until suffocation.
The audience knows nothing about this man who killed the deputy. Although, his face is finally shown clearly while he is strangling him, squirming on the ground and leaving boot marks on the station floor. The first clear image of this man makes the audience feel like he is a psychopath, as he has a weird expression on his face while committing the murder: it could even be seen as pleasure. Once the deputy stops moving the audience can listen to the calming breaths of the murderer with his hands still around the man’s neck. The director seemed to want to present Chigurh as a mad man with unbelievable skills to kill, almost like a machine with no emotions and no explanation for his actions.
The camera cuts again to Chigurh cleaning his hands in the sink, taking the handcuffs off and leaving a blood trace around his wrists. The camera avoids his face again. Instead of using this scene as an opportunity to show the audience a human side of Chigurh, where he looks himself in the mirror and his expressions can be read, the audience are indirectly encouraged to not empathise with him. To not see his character as anything else than a cold blooded killer. After that, he walks back to the cop’s desk, slowly going around the body, to pick up his oxygen tank – his signature weapon.
Chigurh leaves the station in the police car as if nothing had happened and uses the siren to stop another car in the middle of the desert. Both vehicles pull over to the side of the road, and Chigurh goes up to the driver with his weapon on hand. His movements are perfectly controlled. His face as he asks the driver to “step out of the car” is creepy and only fuels the audience to believe that he is a psychopath.
The exchange between Chigurh and the driver is brief but it is noticeable that he finds some type of amusement on the situation. He enjoys having the upper hand and being able to kill without consequences. The audience does not feel connected to Chigurh. There are no camera shots from his perspective nor any other hints of what influences him. No personal connection. The camera avoids showing his face, which adds to the fact that the director wanted the audience to be as detached from this antagonist as possible.
The first time Chigurh appears on camera his face is avoided, making the audience perceive that he is dangerous and mysterious. Meanwhile, he is also being taken in handcuffs to a police car, so it is easy to assume that he is the antagonist that represents “evil” – the character that is going to fight the sheriff, like in any western film. The car goes down the road with a cop and a detained man in it, who the audience are uninformed of what he did to be in that position in the first place.
The camera cuts to the police station, where Chigurh is being processed. Behind the inexperienced deputy who is notifying the arrest to his superior, Chigurh’s face is blurred and unclear while sitting in the dark. He moves slowly, making his way up to him, taking advantage of his distraction and unawareness. Ironically, the man informs through the phone that he’s “got it under control” just when Chigurh puts his handcuffs around his throat until suffocation.
The audience knows nothing about this man who killed the deputy. Although, his face is finally shown clearly while he is strangling him, squirming on the ground and leaving boot marks on the station floor. The first clear image of this man makes the audience feel like he is a psychopath, as he has a weird expression on his face while committing the murder: it could even be seen as pleasure. Once the deputy stops moving the audience can listen to the calming breaths of the murderer with his hands still around the man’s neck. The director seemed to want to present Chigurh as a mad man with unbelievable skills to kill, almost like a machine with no emotions and no explanation for his actions.
The camera cuts again to Chigurh cleaning his hands in the sink, taking the handcuffs off and leaving a blood trace around his wrists. The camera avoids his face again. Instead of using this scene as an opportunity to show the audience a human side of Chigurh, where he looks himself in the mirror and his expressions can be read, the audience are indirectly encouraged to not empathise with him. To not see his character as anything else than a cold blooded killer. After that, he walks back to the cop’s desk, slowly going around the body, to pick up his oxygen tank – his signature weapon.
Chigurh leaves the station in the police car as if nothing had happened and uses the siren to stop another car in the middle of the desert. Both vehicles pull over to the side of the road, and Chigurh goes up to the driver with his weapon on hand. His movements are perfectly controlled. His face as he asks the driver to “step out of the car” is creepy and only fuels the audience to believe that he is a psychopath.
The exchange between Chigurh and the driver is brief but it is noticeable that he finds some type of amusement on the situation. He enjoys having the upper hand and being able to kill without consequences. The audience does not feel connected to Chigurh. There are no camera shots from his perspective nor any other hints of what influences him. No personal connection. The camera avoids showing his face, which adds to the fact that the director wanted the audience to be as detached from this antagonist as possible.
He does not belong in that deserted environment – it does not fit his personality, his physical characteristics nor his actions.
The audience is left with many questions concerning his character: why is he there? What is he trying to accomplish? Where did he come from? He is a complete mystery. The use of film form encourages to dislike his violent and sinister character, and the lack of camera shots helps to antagonise and not feel empathy for Chigurh.
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