The Man Who Wasn't There (DVD)

The feel of recent Coen Brothers films has been dictated by the central character - ‘The Big Lebowski’ was daffy but very cool; ‘O Brother Where Art Thou’ was fundamentally silly but full of charm and exuberance, and now ‘The Man Who Wasn’t There’ comes along, taking its cue from the protagonist Ed Crane (Billy Bob Thornton), a quiet, uncommunicative and rather sad man, plunged into confusion and tragedy. The film is the story of Ed, a taciturn barber trapped in a seemingly loveless marriage to Doris (Frances McDormand). Drawn by his suspicions that Doris is having an affair with her boss Big Dave (James Gandolfini), Ed ...  Read the complete review

Well this is the film the critics have singled out to rave about as they do once a month, but this time they were justified. Written, directed and produced by the Coen brothers Joel and Ethan who continue to create superb, convention defying films such as their earlier hits; Fargo, The Big Lebowski and Millers Crossing. The Man Who Wasn’t There can certainly be added to their list of successes as they prove yet again how damn good they are and how effective black and white can be. Not since Schindlers List has black and white been so well used, and it sets the scene perfectly. The star is Billy Bob Thornton as Ed a barber in a small forties town, he is ...  Read the complete review

2001 has been, in my humble opinion, a mainly appalling year for cinema. Thankfully however, 2001 will forever be remembered as the year of at least one absolutely marvellous film. I am of course referring to THE MAN WHO WASN’T THERE. This film is moving and witty, intelligent and thought provoking, visually and aurally dazzling, and features acting of the highest calibre. This is a film written, produced, edited and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The Coen brothers remain easily the most consistently brilliant filmmakers working in America today, and it would almost be a surprise were they to make a film that *wasn’t* fantastic. THE MAN WHO ...  Read the complete review

It seems just a short time ago that we marvelled at the joys of the Coen brothers then latest film, 'O Brother, Where Art Thou', and already it's time for their next. One of the distinctive things about the Coens is their ability to jump from genre to genre, and this is no exception, being a film noir shot in black and white. The Man Who Wasn't There is barber Ed Crane (Billy Bob Thornton). A quiet man who works for his brother in law, enduring his constant chatter as he quietly goes about his job with a marked lack of enthusiasm. He's similarly withdrawn from his marriage with career minded Doris (Frances McDormand). She is, he suspects, ...  Read the complete review

I’ve had this DVD in my collection for quite some time and although I have watched it before, I suddenly realised I couldn’t remember what it was about. This doesn’t bode well for a film; usually if a film is worth watching, I at least remember what the plot is. One thing I could remember about it was that it was directed by the Coen brothers, and although I have watched one or two bad Coen films, they are generally pretty good. So I decided to give it another try. Thank goodness I did. I’m not sure whether I was drunk the first time I watched it or what, but this is a film that I really enjoyed and thought had some superb performances. The plot Ed Crane ...  Read the complete review