The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)

A laconic, chain-smoking barber blackmails his wife's boss and lover for money to invest in dry cleaning, but his plan goes terribly wrong.

Directors:

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (uncredited)

Writers:

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Stars:

Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, Michael Badalucco

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 24 wins & 41 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Ed Crane
Frances McDormand	...	Doris Crane
Michael Badalucco	...	Frank
James Gandolfini	...	Big Dave Brewster
Katherine Borowitz	...	Ann Nirdlinger Brewster
Jon Polito	...	Creighton Tolliver
Scarlett Johansson	...	Birdy Abundas
Richard Jenkins	...	Walter Abundas
Tony Shalhoub	...	Freddy Riedenschneider
Christopher Kriesa	...	Officer Persky
Brian Haley	...	Officer Krebs
Jack McGee	...	P.I. Burns
Gregg Binkley	...	New Man
Alan Fudge	...	Dr. Diedrickson
Lilyan Chauvin	...	Medium

Storyline

1949, Santa Rosa, California. A laconic, chain-smoking barber with fallen arches tells a story of a man trying to escape a humdrum life. It's a tale of suspected adultery, blackmail, foul play, death, Sacramento city slickers, racial slurs, invented war heroics, shaved legs, a gamine piano player, aliens, and Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. Ed Crane cuts hair in his in-law's shop; his wife drinks and may be having an affair with her boss, Big Dave, who has $10,000 to invest in a second department store. Ed gets wind of a chance to make money in dry cleaning. Blackmail and investment are his opportunity to be more than a man no one notices. Settle in the chair and listen.

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Plot Keywords:

laconic | chain smoking | neo noir | blackmail | barber | 

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Taglines:

The last thing on his mind is murder.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a scene of violence

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English Italian French

Release Date:

16 November 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Barber Project

Filming Locations:

Glendale, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£419,609 (UK) (26 October 2001)

Gross:

$7,494,849 (USA) (22 February 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Good Machine, Gramercy Pictures (I), Mike Zoss Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The name of the German theoretician that Riedenschneider struggles to remember is Werner Heisenberg.

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Goofs

In the fight between Ed and Dave, Ed is thrown to the ground. To his right is a three-prong electrical socket, not introduced until much later.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ed Crane: Yeah, I worked in a barbershop, but I never considered myself a barber. I stumbled into it. Or married into it, more precisely.

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Crazy Credits

Special thanks to citizens and merchants of Orange, CA and The Bungalow Heaven Neighborhood - City of Pasadena, CA.

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Connections

Referenced in Strictly Background (2007)

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Soundtracks

Piano Sonata No.14 in C sharp minor, Op.27 No.2 (Moonlight)
(1801)
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven

User Reviews

awesome!

since i have seen my first coen-brothers movie, i think, it was Fargo, i'm a great fan of these film-makers.

i can't remember how often i watched this movie, because every time i get fascinated by the interesting story and the excellent characters. the slowness of the movie is fascinating. in spite of the slowness i never felt bored. the whole time i'm watching and thinking of the misery ed crane stepped into.

the next highlight is the great soundtrack. Beethoven was and is the greatest composer ever. and the songs of carter burwell are awesome, not only in this movie, in every movie of the coen-brothers.

i recently read in a comment on this movie, that someone could not imagine that somebody around the age of 25 votes high for this movie. I'm 21 and there was nothing that disturbed me.

without doubt the man who wasn't there is one of my favorite movies.