The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Joel Coen

Writers (WGA):

Joel Coen (written by) &
Ethan Coen (written by)

Release Date:

26 October 2001 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

The last thing on his mind is murder.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Blackmail | Chain Smoking | Barber | Laconic | Piano

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 19 wins & 32 nominations

Cast

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	...	The New Man
Alan Fudge	...	Dr. Diedrickson
Lilyan Chauvin	...	Medium

Also Known As:

The Barber Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for a scene of violence.

Runtime:

116 min | Spain:118 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

New Zealand:R16 | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Singapore:NC-16 | Portugal:M/12 | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:12 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG (censored version) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #38222)

Filming Locations:

Glendale, California, USA

Company:

Good Machine

Trivia:

During the scene where Ed visit's his wife in prison, a photograph of a circle is seen on the table in front of him - a link both to Circle Films, which was the company behind the Coen brothers in their earlier films, and The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)'s circle gag.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the opening scene a reflection of the camera and scaffolding is visible in the barber pole as the angle shifts from looking up to looking down.

Quotes:

Ed Crane: ...maybe there I can tell her all those things they don't have words for here.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Big Bang: (#1.2)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor, Op.13 (Pathetique)

one of the Coen brothers best, a film that becomes a masterpiece after a while.

Joel and Ethan Coens' The Man Who Wasn't There doesn't (how could it) top their first film-noir classic Blood Simple, but it is still an incredibly stylish and acted with pizazz type of film which should definitely get better with multiple viewings. Billy Bob Thornton turns in another top shelve job (geniusly subtle, even for him) as a quiet and observant barber named Ed, who gets drawn into an unfortunate string of events with his wife (Frances McDormand) who has cheated on him with Big Dave (James Gandolfini who in his scattered minutes on the screen shows his ability for Oscar nomination-type work) and with the usual line of events that would come from a noir comes compelling characters and set-pieces that show's Ed in a downfall though it is from a life the never wanted to lead in the first place. If Sartre decided to throw out the politics and religion and stick to the being and nothingness and write a hard-boiled novel, this might be it.

In short, the Coen Brothers have once again struck a little gem in the rough, shot in black and white and stylized to a T. I feel like picking up a Cain book after watching this. And, on top of this, on repeat viewings I can say that it becomes even more engrossing, and just a bit more entertaining if really ready to dig into the atmosphere. It may be thick enough to kill a few stray kittens, but it's got a genuine pathos to it too. And just when you think there isn't enough Coen strangeness, wait till the aliens arrive. A+