No Country for Old Men (2007) is an ideal film to look at in terms of a thriller genre. The film establishes its genre quickly with the threat of death being the impetus driving the film. Anton left you on tenterhooks each scene he entered, proving to be a revered antagonist and villain, a controlled and barbaric killer on a callous murdering spree. With Anton being pursued by Sheriff Bell and Deputy Wednell along with Carson Wells, the film would almost certainly be classified as a murder mystery, despite the viewer being aware of his identity. Anton is unchanged from one murder to the next. His objective is to recover the money and his unnecessary killing, becomes simply a game of chance of which he makes no apologies for. This is intensified in the poignant ending, when the timid Carla confronts him on his warped belief system, much to his frustration. Anton’s irritation however is not born out of self-reflection and regret, but out of contempt for Carla not playing along. Overall the film had a natural approach to the genre which was not contrived in anyway. As Batty (2008, p. 16) states ‘Genre cannot be forced upon a project; it must emanate from it, encapsulating all that it is and all that the audience will understand it is.’
(Photography: Miramax Films/Paramount Vantage)
References:
No Country for Old Men, 2007 (film), directed by Joel COEN, Ethan COEN. USA: Miramax Films, Paramount Vantage
Batty, C. (2008). Writing for the Screen. New York: Palgrave Macmillan
