Cormac Mccarthy's No Country For Old Men

Cormac McCarthy’s novel, No Country for Old Men, is a tightly written, captivating thriller that unfolds in a straightforward, low-key way. This style of writing builds tension and impact as the novel progresses. Told in an old, relaxed, Western style of English, the language immediately sets the stage for an old Western. The writing style is very relaxed and the grammar simplified, often dropping letters at the end of words and leaving out punctuation entirely. Written in the first person from the perspective of Sheriff Bell, the novel contains frequent interludes that serve as a look inside his character. The book is thematically consistent due to the Bell interludes, which are present throughout, making it more clearly about him and his

The film maintains the book’s cool tone by having characters rarely raise their voices or even show outward emotion. The film is less dry, with a clear, looming sense of doom that builds throughout. One advantage the filmmakers had in conveying the story is the ability to use visual effects to add to the plot and overall emotional aspect of the story. While it is difficult to convey emotion with written word, the film presents an amplified version of the characters’ emotions, giving them a presence and power that is not as readily observed in McCarthy’s book version. The book tends to explore the characters’ mental states in ways that film rarely can, save for devices like exposition, narration, and voiceover, which can sometimes seem awkward. The movie is far more action-based, focusing on what the characters do rather than their feelings. While the differences between the book and film ultimately are small, and the story mostly plays out in the film as it does in the book, there are occasions when the movie changes small facts or details to add to the visual elements and effects of the