The Man Who Wasn't There - 01/01/02

Their other films, pre-Fargo, are incredible movies, in and of themselves. Blood Simple, Miller's Crossing (another brilliant film) and The Hudsucker Proxy. Each of them has a unique voice, look, feel and atmosphere. Their last brilliant film was Fargo.

From there, they went on to do distinct films, each, again, with its own voice and feel and atmosphere... but I think there was also a very cynical attitude injected into the films... where the straight story wasn't enjoyable enough for them... and they weren't concerned with the attitude of the viewer... they wanted to create their own visions, starting with The Big Lebowski... which is admirable, but it is not always successful.

Such was the case when they came out with O' Brother, Where Art Thou? in 2000. Entertainment Weekly gave the film an F (though who believes them)... and it seemed, to me and to lots of people, that they had lost their edge.

The Man Who Wasn't There is a tribute to thirties and forties mystery writers like Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and James M. Cain. There is such a thick atmospheric quirkiness in this film, very authentic, that allows the viewer to slow their pace down, to a life that they never experienced.

The film is successful in a number of ways. The acting is superb in this film. The writing is top notch, the look of the film is incredible... but there is no singular Coen moment, no real originality. Some of the shots, the moments, the feelings... they are recycled from other Coen films, they begin to look familiar... and I was slightly disappointed at that.

Billy Bob Thorton is a very accomplished actor. His deadpan delivery was textbook for the era that was being represented. I won't go into his other works... it wouldn't make much difference to compare his other work to this... this film is original in that respect. It brought back a feeling and a type of character that hasn't been seen in quite some time. Possible, the last film would be Barton Fink, and I don't say that because they are made by the same brothers.

Frances McDormand is always great. She has been since Blood Simple, and in every other Coen brother film.

James Gandolfini. I thought this might be a 'studio' decision. He's hot off of The Soprano's and The Mexican... he hasn't done much other film work, lately, to warrent casting in such a film... so I think this was just to add some color to the film, something more than familiar. He wasn't bad. He's got a great way of acting, and he played the character well... but it just seemed like a forced decision for the crew.

Michael Badalucco, Katherine Borowitz, Jon Polito and Tony Shalhoub were all great in their respective roles. Badalucco, Polito and Shalhoub were all in other Coen films, and it's no wonder why they are used over and over. They all know how to act, very well.

I cannot say enough of Roger Deakins. He's done a fantastic job with the photography of this film. The black and white work was well lit (which was key to the atmosphere of the mystery/pulp writers feel) and well thought out. He's been the Coen brother's DP for every film since Barton Fink, and it's no wonder they trust him with their film. He has his craft down pat.

His other work stands alone, as well. Sid and Nancy, Passion Fish, The Secret Garden, The Shawshank Redemption, Dead Man Walking, Courage Under Fire, Kundun, The Siege, The Hurricane, Thirteen Days and, just recently, A Beautiful Mind. He has the eye for a number of Hollywood's top directors... and its obvious he's one of the most respected DP's in the industry.

Over all, the film is a well paced mystery/drama/comedy. The comedy part is all part of the writing, and it's subtle. Most times you'd hear laughter from the audience before you really understood what was happening... or a piece of dialog that was cleverly placed, almost hidden. It's standard in a Coen film... I look forward to Intolerable Cruelty, which we should get some time in 2002 or early 2003.