NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN - OPENING SCENES

 At the beginning of the scene, the shots are tranquil and quiet - the landscape is desolate. The audience is instantly aligned with Sheriff Bell as he is narrating at this point. 

When we are first introduced to Chigurh, we see a wide shot of him being taken to a police car, then a mid shot in which he is facing away from the camera - in this way alignment is avoided, we have only seen his back and his weapon. The cut to the weapon could suggest it's important, foreshadowing his later use of it. He remains out of focus until he's on the floor, the camera zooming into his face as he strangles a police officer to death - this immediately presents him as the violent force of evil. The way that he washes the blood off his wrists as if it's an everyday action is telling of his character and lifestyle.

His first dialogue is threatening, as well as his expression. His voice is slightly monotone and he is smirking as he shoots the man in the head. This tells the audience that he feels no remorse is most likely a psychopath. 

The cop is in the light beige uniform (representing good) and Chigurh is wearing all black (representing evil) , so they are already set up as a binary opposite. The light is cast more on the officer whilst Chigurh is in the dark, his face kept in shadows, making him more mysterious and so the audience curious as to who he is and what he is about to do. In this way, the audience is also encouraged to feel more allegience and empathy towards the officer as we can see his face properly and he represents order whereas Chigurh represents chaos. The audience would naturally feel empathy towards a force of good rather than a force of evil who is hidden in the shadows, suggesting he has something to hide; both literally (his face) and metaphorically (his criminal psychopathic behaviour)

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