You can hear the time passing in the voice. You can hear the struggle that he's faced with. You can actually feel the world becoming more hectic around him, and his hopelessness to stop it. It's the opening scene.

Love how this whole movie has no score. Just silence. Builds atmosphere

I think this is genuinely the greatest film of all time

My favorite opening to any movie.

“A man would have to put his soul at hazard.” Indeed. Merely in living, we do so. I come back to this scene a handful of times a year, and it’s still haunting every time.

'' If I don't come back tell mother I love her. Your mother's dead, Llewelyn ? Well then. I'll tell her myself.''

"I don't want to push my chips forward and go out and meet something I don't understand. A man would have to put his soul at hazard. He'd have to say, 'Ok...I'll be part of this world'." I get chills every time I hear that line.

"Be there in 'bout 15 minutes" chilling sentence

99% of directors would have opened with the firefight among the smugglers that's never actually seen in the flick. Instead we're hooked by TLJ's voice and the sparse scenery. Way to go Coen bros!!!

He actually explains why the movie ends the way it ends at the beginning. Ingenious!!!

"be there in about 15 minutes" gives me chills every time.

I really like the west Texas scenery.

I think that's about my favourite opening scene to any movie I've seen. Tommy Lee-Jones almost whispers the last line and you can almost hear it reverberate through the rest of the movie.

I obsessively rewatch this. It's so great.

I think this is one of the best movie openings in the history of cinema.

Cormac McCarthy is incredible. It’s surreal reading classics being written in our time. I read Suttree in Peru at a conservation camp just west of Bolivia. There was a Capuchin monkey that liked to curl up in your lap when you rested in a certain hammock and I read that entire novel by an Amazon tributary just so. I’ve never felt so adrift in time and space and never will again. The tradition of the great American novel is kept alive by very few. Patrick Dewitt is another of the last remaining heroes of western literature, but it’s on all of us to keep it alive. It’s an endangered art.

This and the first 20 mins of There Will Be Blood are by far two of the greatest opening scenes in film history

CinemaSins cannot sin this for 'narration.' This here, it's one of the best narration ever. Sets up the conflict, problem, themes and moral conflict on the central character all in one shot of narration.

I love the sound of his voice, the tone, his meter is perfect, I love the scenery and the sound of the wind, but it's the writing that's so beautiful that it grips me right where I live. Those of us who were raised a little bit county knew a few people growing up that talked like this, to some degree or another, even those that hear it without knowing such people know that it sounds genuine and authentic. The names of the other sheriff's sound realistic, and when he says things like "that's the younger Jim" it makes it feel like a realistic conversation. He talks about hoping his dad was proud, and that he knows he was, wow that's a powerful and efficient way to build intimacy with an audience. If I was a college professor teaching young aspiring writers I probably do a couple weeks just on this opening dialogue making students dissect it and analyze it and challenge them to learn to think like this. Really amazing writing.

This is one of the best opening scenes of any movie. The silence is deafening. They did a really good job of portraying the Genesis of a character represented by the morning sun coming up and the hope of a new day. There is a part near the end of the movie where he finds out his father was murdered at nighttime and buried just before the morning. Such a deep movie.

Okay, I'll be part of this world.

Roger Deakins cinematography is amazing

The part he whispers “okay I’ll be part of this world” to me it’s like he accepts all of this but he doesn’t agree with all of it.

One of the most perfect films ever made.

I love to listen to this before I go to work in the morning makes me feel like a real cowboy...living in Brooklyn New York

But I don't wanna push my chips forward, and go out and meet something I don't understand..

I just have to echo what all have said here in that this is incredible cinema - every aspect of the medium is executed at the highest level, the effort coalesces into a cohesive emotional feeling that is beyond powerful. Incredible.

This was the film that made me re-evaluate all films. I saw this all the way back in 2007 and it woke something in me. Now, I have such a huge respect for film, and I know it will be with me forever

Wow, what an incredible opening scene, simple yet powerful.Tommy Lee Jones voice and dialogue is absolutely superb

This in all reality brought Cormac Mcarthys masterpiece of a book to life and made this movie into a top 10 of all time it’ll always stay in that list

I was sheriff of this county when I was twenty-five years old. Hard to believe. My grandfather was a lawman; father too. Me and him was sheriffs at the same time; him up in Plano and me out here. I think he's pretty proud of that. I know I was. Some of the old time sheriffs never even wore a gun. A lotta folks find that hard to believe. Jim Scarborough'd never carried one; that's the younger Jim. Gaston Boykins wouldn't wear one up in Comanche County. I always liked to hear about the oldtimers. Never missed a chance to do so. You can't help but compare yourself against the oldtimers. Can't help but wonder how they would have operated these times. There was this boy I sent to the 'lectric chair at Huntsville Hill here a while back. My arrest and my testimony. He killt a fourteen-year-old girl. Papers said it was a crime of passion but he told me there wasn't any passion to it. Told me that he'd been planning to kill somebody for about as long as he could remember. Said that if they turned him out he'd do it again. Said he knew he was going to hell. "Be there in about fifteen minutes". I don't know what to make of that. I sure don't. The crime you see now, it's hard to even take its measure. It's not that I'm afraid of it. I always knew you had to be willing to die to even do this job. But, I don't want to push my chips forward and go out and meet something I don't understand. A man would have to put his soul at hazard. He'd have to say, "O.K., I'll be part of this world."

I remember I did this monologue for my theater final, my teacher was too Shakespearean to enjoy it and gave me a b but my friends in my class loved it and watched the movie because of this.

Here’s the opening monologue from the book. It’s one of my favorite openings to a book just like how this is my favorite opening to movie. I sent one boy to the gaschamber at Huntsville. One and only one. My arrest and my testimony. I went up there and visited with him two or three times. Three times. The last time was the day of his execution. I didn't have to go but I did. I sure didn't want to. He'd killed a fourteen year old girl and I can tell you right now I never did have no great desire to visit with him let alone go to his execution but I done it. The papers said it was a crime of passion and he told me there wasn't no passion to it. He'd been datin' this girl, young as she was. He was nineteen. And he told me that he had been plannin' to kill somebody for about as long as he could remember. Said that if they turned him out he'd do it again. Said he knew he was goin' to hell. Told it to me out of his own mouth. I don't know what to make of that. I surely don't. I thought I'd never seen a person like that and it got me to wonderin' if maybe he was some new kind. I watched them strap him into the seat and shut the door. He might of looked a bit nervous about it but that was about all. I really believe that he knew he was goin' to be in hell in fifteen minutes. I believe that. And I've thought about that a lot. He was not hard to talk to. Called me Sheriff. But I didn't know what to say to him. What do you say to a man that by his own admission has no soul? Why would you say anything? I've thought about it a good deal. But he wasn't nothin' compared to what was comin' down the pike. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. I don't know what them eyes was the windows to and I guess I'd as soon not know. But there is another view of the world out there and other eyes to see it and that's where this is goin'. It has done brought me to a place in my life I would not of thought I'd of come to. Somewhere out there is a true and living prophet of destruction and I don't want to confront him. I know he's real. I have seen his work. I walked in front of those eyes once. I wont do it again. I wont push my chips forward and stand up and go out to meet him. It ain't just bein' older. I wish that it was. I cant say that it's even what you are willin' to do. Because I always knew that you had to be willin' to die to even do this job. That was always true. Not to sound glorious about it or nothin' but you do. If you ain't they'll know it. They'll see it in a heartbeat. I think it is more like what you are willin' to become. And I think a man would have to put his soul at hazard. And I wont do that. I think now that maybe I never would.

70's had the best films. 90's as well. But 07-08 gave us a renascence.

As I get older I find myself thinking about Ed Tom's monologues more and more.

Such an epic film. I watched this for the first time in a few years last month and had forgotten just how incredible it truly is.

I have watched this opening maybe 100 times and every time, the voice of Tommy Lee just gives me the chills!

Love this opening. It’s so great how it starts at dawn and how the sun is rising on the following shots. And I love how the car speeding by splits up the line, “You’d have to say okay, I’ll be a part of this world.”

I always loved how the intro to No Country For Old Men calls backs to the Coen's first film, Blood Simple.

I remember seeing this movie, There Will Be Blood, and The Dark Knight relatively close to each other with the same friend of mine at the time, and we were both blown away from each movie and would talk about the stories so much. To us it was like 2006-2009 was an era of incredible movies.

Hands down, greatest opening monologue of any movie ever made!

God, I love this movie.

I love the double meaning of “the crime you see now is hard to understand”. Literally the crime right there in front of you, and also the type of crime in general around this time.

This is, without a doubt, the best intro of any movie made so far

Everybody’s talking about how good Tommy Lee Jones is here, which is absolutely fair, he’s incredible, but I just wanna draw some attention to the fucking stellar writing in this monologue.

Hands down probably one of the best monologues to ever be written and performed in a film. So much being said and so brilliantly yet unpretentiously.

Cormac McCarthy is the best writer of western dialogue. But don't take my word for it. When asked about their screenplay of McCarthy's novel, the Coen brothers looked at each other, laughed, and said "Well, we didn't change very much."

Just when you think, it's totaly silly to make a 'Western' that plays in our times and not as a faux re-imagining of older flicks, along comes this movie. It's cinematography is gorgeous, it's subject matter (and main antagonist) absolutely chilling. I would listen for hours to Tommy Lee Jones talking about the old timers (or to the younger Jim Gaston Boykins up in Commanche County). You do feel this movie more than you watch it.

There is such a profound deepness to this movie.

Simple fact, the Coen Brothers make masterpieces of cinema!

One of the best movies ever made. In the future, they'll show it as such.

I remember watching this in theaters on Black Friday of ‘07 and til this day, this intro still gives me goosebumps like it did on that day.

The best Cohen brothers film

No matter how many times I hear it, that last sentence combined with that subtle ambient music just throws one hell of a chill down my spine.

It's strange to think that the dystopian present day that the sheriff is talking about is the year 1980. Now it's 43 years later, and things have not gotten better.

2:27 That is Ranch Road 2810 south of Marfa,Texas. I was there a few months ago. Nothing but road, dust, wind, and sky. It’s so quiet and peaceful. Most remote road I’ve ever been on.

I loved this movie from the first time I watched it, and it's only grown on me since. One of my very favorites.

It's like the west Texas scenery is one of the characters in the movie

What a fantastic opening to a film, I’ve always liked this scene since I saw it at the cinema.

One of the great moments of 21st century American cinema, thanks to Joel and Ethan, Cormac McCarthy, Roger Deakins, Tommy Lee Jones, and the rest of the crew.

I’m a Native American Coast Salish wood carver in the PNW of America. I come from a long and proud line of wood carvers. There’s an old wood carver man named Duane who is a 92 year old Korean War vet, he is still carving. Whenever I feel down and out, stuck, or just stumped by the world around me; I go to Duane. I do chores around his house, I do all kinds of manual labor and help him anyway I can, just to sit down with some black coffee and hear his stories. And when I leave his house, I feel reinvigorated, I feel better. I love this opening scene, and Duane loves this movie. He said in his youth, listening to the old timers was priceless and that that resource goes so quick. To all you who have an old timer in your life or have memories of an old timer, cherish them. Remember them. They won’t be here forever, and neither will you.

Tommy Lee Jones has the most accurate old school Texan accent I've heard in movies. Just like the old folks of the small Texas town I grew up in and all my old Texas relatives.

You know you are in the presence of a good movie when you're creeped out by an opening monologue

Came here after reading the book, and gonna watch the movie again. Really helped flesh everything out reading it, and such a well done movie.

The greatest movie ever made. Uncompromising and unforgiving.

One of the best opening monologues in modern day cinema

The opening dialogue for this film and Blood Simple are perfect.

Ok. I'll be part of this world.

It’s amazing how well this film demonstrated that if a movie is created properly, a score is sometimes unnecessary The same is true of real life at the most harrowing situations rarely are accompanied by any sound aside from your heart pounding in your ears. I now find myself imagining films with silence instead of the score and I find that a lot of the time it would be just as if not more effective... Truly bored minimalist approach that ended up being a gamble paid off in dividends

Have you ever heard the theory that Anton Sugar another personality inside the psychology of Josh Brolin's character? Fight Club

I was traveling east from Ft. Bliss (El Paso) and some of the landscape reminded me of this, so I put it on. I was shocked when I read the town I passed through, Marfa, is where the opening scenery is shot.

As good as Javier Bardem is in this movie, I keep going back to the Tommy Lee Jones scenes. I appreciate his performance more with each passing year.

ONE of The Greatest Movies of ALL TIME!!!💯% I mean, no music even!!! Just the atmosphere. Amazing!!!💯%

There are just a small handful of thespians that carry the weight in just their voice to impact a movie the way Tommy Lee Jones does in this monologue. Wow, the character in his vocal chords is just amazing

Hands down the best monologue in film history.

Best written and best monologue in any movie. Outstanding.

This film has one of the most compelling opening scenes and ending scenes of any I have ever watched in my 60 years. What a masterpiece of movie making and story telling.

It goes so hard. It’s so sharp end polished.

This monologue is the best part of any movie I’ve ever seen. Finally a Hollywood like that wasn’t cheap or shallow.

i feel like this is like a homage to their first film “blood simple” (1983), i watched both of them once

of all the movie intros i have seen thus is my favorite.

the opening shots of texas landsvape along with TLJ voice over is haunting and perhaps the best opening in movie history

I have always loved the shot with the car speeding by as the camera rises. It is so simple but effective

A masterclass in writing, holy shit

What’s crazy is I saw this movie when it first came out and never paid this opening line any thought. A year later I became a cop. 15 years later I find myself thinking exactly this and I can’t wait to get out either.

the car’s on fire and there’s no driver at wheel..

TLJ's interviews on this are cool. He's an amazingly talented actor. He puts a lot of good work into these roles.

So this is what art looks like

that opening is so cruel

One of the most real to life conversation ever.

Amazing man

The cinematography in this movie is flawless.

A-lot of your old time sheriffs here in Wyoming didn’t carry a side arm. And I know this for a fact I’m talking from Rod about 1895 on up to right about 1945. To this day I have have 4 people in my family in law enforcement. One of them is a deputy US Marshal here in Wyoming.

This is a scene from the movie "No Country for Old Men". The movie is adapted from the novel of same name by American author Cormac Mcarthy. The title of the film at best serves as a metaphor about a man who has fought evil his whole life but is now too old, feeble and powerless to confront an even greater evil he cannot understand or address. The philosophy of Nihilism pervades throughout the film. The tone of the film is more bleak and pessimistic than the barren and desolate landscapes of Texas in which the film is set. The movie is a meditation on evil and a very cruel reminder of how it is easy for evil to triumph over good people.

Being the lil punk I was growing up with my petty hatred towards police...hearing that last line gave me a insight towards the mentality they have.. and instantly made me feel compassion and regret lol...such a powerful scene

Absolutely brilliant.

Beautiful words and deliverance.

His way of speaking reminds me of my Dad…great job TLJ and thank you! ❤️

One of the most epic intros in the movie history.

I just realized, just after he says “I’ll be part of this world” and the car drives off, there is a mild score to the film. If you don’t hear it listen carefully for it it’s the last couple seconds of the video, and the car driving is still louder. But it’s there. Just a mild picking at a guitar or other stringed instrument. That is the only score in the entire film. How interesting.