No Country for Old Men (2007)

No Country for Old Men is directed and produced by the Coen brothers, and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed watching it, and was one of the most intense thrillers I have watched in a while!

For starters, the actual narrative is very simple as it's quite straight forward as it's simply a goose chase mainly between the sheriff of his town who is carrying around $2000,000 and drugs in a suitcase, and a guy who follows him in his tracks as he's after the money. However, of course the guy who is chasing him is pure evil as he intends to kill anyone in his path.

The simplicity of the story is what makes this film so watchable and intense, as it's filled with wonderful shot types and thriller signifies. For starters, the Mise-en-scene for most of the film is of a desert, where you get to witness some fantastic scenery. There's a powerful shot of the Sheriff looking through his binoculars at some tree's, which is a great example of "The Rule of Thirds," and the shot type also shows shadows from the tree's which is a great thriller signifier.

Of course, certain parts are very gruesome as you witness a lot of wounded men, but the pace of the film is quite slow and not rushed. The actual Shrift himself resembles quite a secretive man, especially to his wife, and is typical of a strong, male stereotype. What really keeps you on the edge of your seat however, is the scenes when the Sheriff is hiding in a Motel with his money, and the guy chasing him finds where he is with a tag he carries around which bleeps every time he nears the money. These scenes are so intense due to the fact the camera doesn't allow you to see where the two guys are, therefore your kept on the edge of your seat waiting for something to happen.

The music also creates atmosphere because it's dead quiet before something is about to happen, which creates intensity throughout the scenes.