The Man Who Wasn't There
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Movie Reviews of The Man Who Wasn't There
Movie Review: A Twisting Turnpike.
Summary: 4 Stars
From the first glimpse of the main character's barbershop, this film takes off with the complexity of Beethoven's Pathetique, which is featured heavily throughout. This is a period piece with a plot that encircles and expands over the course of every passing five minute segment. I was surprised repeatedly, and can honestly say that I was not fully certain as to how it would end until the credits rolled.
Overall, the acting is superb. Shalhoub is just as exquisite in his role as defense attorney as he was playing the producer in Barton Fink. His "Uncertainty Principle" defense is hilarious and frighteningly believable as a method in which lawyers occasionally cleanse their clients of guilt. Billy Bob Thornton's performance appears effortless as he manages to be disengaged and endearing at the same time. Gandolfini is good as Big Dave, although the character is not far removed from the one that made him famous, Tony Soprano.
This is yet another magnificent effort from the Coen brothers. They have repaid fans like me countless times in the past for our interest and they do not disappoint here. Nobody produces better film noir or challenges their viewers intellectually like the fraternal duo.
Movie Review: ironical, fascinating and irritating film noir stylization
Summary: 4 Stars
Other reviewers consider this move the Coen Brothers' best. Before viewing this film I had seen only "Miller's Cossing" and "Fargo". I still prefer Fargo but acknowledge that this movie is a special kind of masterpiece. With few exceptions, I usually do not like films based on unsympathetic characters (one reason I prefer "Fargo"). However, this film's exclusive assortment of unlikeable and unprincipled chaqracters creates the perfect springboard for the unintended chain of violent consequences resulting from a opportunistic premeditated act of revenge by a bizzarely laconic barber, all of which are meant to illustrate Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle. The excellent acting of the cast gives depth to otherwise banal characters in such a way that suggests that they could have been different has they chosen otherwise. I didn't particularly like the convenient and superfluous inclusion of UFOs in the storyline and thought it unnecessarily weakend an almost flawless plot line. The behavior of the teenage girl at the end of the story was too abrupt and, in general I felt that the significance of her character should have been better developed.Movie Review: COMES TO LIFE IN BRILLIANT BLACK AND WHITE
Summary: 4 Stars
The Coen brothers and Billy Bob Thornton strike it big with
THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE. Billy Bob Thornton sets the mood for
his character Ed Crain perfectly right from the start, with the
line, "Me, I don't talk much, I just cut the hair", delivered
with the low key, emotionless style of a man who could just as
easily be talking about the hair he sweeps from the floor as
opposed to one beginning the narration of what is to become the
biggest turning point of his life. This style works in perfect
contrast with the overly enthusiastic and ultra dramatic
performances, skillfully put in by Jamas Gandolfini, as Big
Dave, who, depending on your point of view, is either the victim
or the villain, and Tony Shalhous, who plays the slick as a
whistle lawyer, Freddy Ritdenschnider. (please forgive the
spelling). Frances McDormand also does a wonderful job as Ed
Crain's thoroughly flawed wife, Doris. A dramatic, dark comedy,
worth seeing again and again. The making of this movie in black
and white was brilliant.
Thanks, and enjoy,
Tom
Movie Review: Coens + Noir = Instant Classic
Summary: 4 Stars
This darkly funny tale is a fascinating and skillful homage to film noir in the classic caper-gone-wrong mold. The Coen Bros, as usual, call on the talented British DP Roger Deakins to tell the story with flawless visual style. The cast isn't too shabby either, with a a special nod to Tony Shaloub as the intensely nutty motor mouth lawyer Freddy Riedenschneider. Typically, the film is peppered with in-jokes and nods to the Coen's favorite films--like the clever reference to the eerie underwater scene in the classic NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. If you love the Coens and anything labled film noir, this is your cup of bleak, dark tea.Movie Review: Under the Full Cherry Moon
Summary: 4 Stars
I think you have to see this movie a second time to fully appreciate it. There is alot of subtlties that I didn't pick up on until I watched it again years later. All the acting was fantastic. A standout performance for the actor who played the "salesman" at the hotel. Weird-a-rama!!! The movie ends up being completely freaky and surreal, and ya got to have a warped mind to fully grasp the surrealness of the Coen Brothers.