Introduction

Critically acclaimed motion picture No Country for Old Men is the focus of this week’s instalment of Talking Movies – a guide for how to use cinema to get the best out of your street photography. I have chosen 3 of my favourite scenes from the movie to analyse, and I will explain exactly what it is that I think makes them powerful pieces of imagery. I will then show a selection of my own images and explain how the movie’s style influenced my street photography. Check out the Talking Movies section of the blog for the previous articles.

Introducing No Country for Old Men

No Country for Old Men (2007) was adapted from prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy’s 2005 novel by the celebrated directors Joel and Ethan Coen, who also directed the movie. It centres on the discovery of a suitcase full of money by Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) who stumbles across drug deal gone wrong in the wilds of 1980 rural Texas. After taking the money for himself, Moss is pursued by the bloodthirsty psychopath Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), who ruthlessly dispatches his victims with aplomb. Following this trail of carnage is local sheriff Ed Tom Bell, played by Tommy Lee Jones. No Country for Old Men was awarded four Oscars, including the much-coveted ‘Motion Picture of the Year’ and ‘Best Director’ gongs, as well as two Golden Globes and two BAFTA wins. Director of Photography Roger Deakins’ was acknowledged with a BAFTA for ‘Best Cinematography’ for his brooding and low-key depiction of the scorched earth of southern Texas and early 1980s Americana.