In what ways does the opening of “No Country for Old Men” conform to the conventions of a thriller?

In what ways does the opening of “No Country for Old Men” conform to the conventions of a thriller?

The opening to the film “No Country for Old Men” conforms to the conventions of thrillers in a variety of ways, although it is not entirely conventional in it’s approach.
The most obvious feature of the opening part of the film is the presence of death. The fact that a character dies near the beginning of the film, or indeed anywhere in the film, is a common theme in the genre, and death is something that plays a part in nearly all thrillers.
Aside from this, something else, shown even earlier on in the film, which conforms to the setting of a thriller, is the bleak setting, a desert, which is accentuated by blowing wind, dust, and a distinct absence of anything that can be recognised as alive. This is shown from the very beginning of the film, and this, again, is a feature that is common to many films in the genre, as it gives the events that happen within the film much more impact. It gives the impression of loneliness, and helplessness.
The character introduced at the beginning of the film gives us the impression of being the kind of psychotic character so prevalent in thrillers, and confirms this impression by killing two people during the opening scenes of the film. The second character introduced has the look of a cowboy giving us a slightly better impression of himself than the long haired maniac we have previously seen. This impression, however, is slightly tempered by this character’s insensitive attitude towards death, and in this way, the film does not follow the conformities of a thriller, as neither of the characters we have so far been introduced to have been of an entirely benevolent nature, one showing a preference towards shades of grey that are not always typical to most thrillers, although not unheard of.
Another thriller convention that is used in the opening to “No Country for Old Men” is the lack of dialogue, which emphasises the loneliness and desolate nature of the situation. The film, like many thrillers, also starts on a foreboding note, instead of going straight into the action, which helps build up the tension towards the later parts of the film.
Although the film’s opening does conform to the conventions of thrillers in many ways, there are also ways, in which it doesn’t. One is the previously mentioned shades of grey that are prevalent in the characters’ morality. Another would be the amount that happens within the opening scenes of the film, although this doesn’t go against thriller conventions either. The lack of explanation of what is going on is something that is prevalent in many thriller openings, as the film makers often want the film itself and the symbolism therein speak for itself.
To conclude, the opening to “No Country for Old Men”, is, in many ways, the typical opening to a thriller, and contains many of the themes and symbolism that is often used. However, it does differ in a few small ways, making it a unique, instead of entirely clichéd opening to the film.