Makes an indelible mark. Not to be soon forgotten.

Rating: 7/10 (17 April 2014)

It doesn't tend to come up when I think of crime movies, but "No Country for Old Men" is a great one. It's got that slow and methodical predator-stalking-his-prey tempo, and the movie's populated with some great characters. Anton Chigurh is surely one of the creepiest bad guys I've ever laid eyes on (the cattle gun is novel, and the sound of that shotgun!); Bardem ratchets the creepiness of that guy to unbelievable heights. Conversely, Brolin's outlaw has got to be one of the dumbest. He proves himself a wily criminal, but drug money always has someone coming for it. Not bright.
But even in a movie full of well-drawn characters, Tommy Lee Jones is still the highlight for me. He vividly brings to life the sardonic world-weary lawman and I found myself looking forward to his next scene and hearing his dialogue. Dude's just got that gift. Harrelson's equally gifted here.
But I was also floored on a technical level. There's great atmosphere; those arid deserts are not a place I want to find myself lost in (that howling wind is its own brand of unnerving). But just how much of this movie played out with no score. The sound design here is amazing; more often than not, it's just he background noise of a ticking clock, beeping transponder or footsteps providing us with any sound at all. It's haunting, really.
7/10