Written & Directed By: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Cinematography By: Roger Deakins
Editor: Joel Coen &Ethan Coen (Under the name Roderick Jaymes) &Tricia Cooke
Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, Scarlett Johanson, Michael Badalucco, James Gandolfini, Richard Jenkins, Jon Polito, Tony Shalhoub, Katherine Borowitz, Christopher McDonald
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.
Some of us can identify with the title at different times in our lives.
In this noir tale told in bold black & white. Where everything is not as it seems and nothing turns out the way you suspect. The story is like a chess game overseen by only one player. Our main protagonist who is the quiet type and mostly talks in voiceover and seems to never shut up when it comes to the narration of the story. Which runs like an internal monologue.
His days are slow. Life seems to be repetitive and has no meaning. He suspects his strong willed wife is having an affair with her boss. All he seems to do is smoke cigarettes and cut hair. That is until he gets a chance to invest in a new invention vacuum Cleaners, but he has no money to invest. --So he set’s a plan to blackmail his wife’s boss and everything goes from bad to worse. It would be a sin to go on about the plot. It’s a film you should discover for yourself.
This is a film I love. Another in a line of undiscovered gems. The coen brothers create such vividly rich original characters. The characters in this particular film are not as outrageous as usual. Since this is more a dramedy that is very much a tragedy. Going back to their more crime story roots. Such as BLOOD SIMPLE and MILLER’S CROSSING. In these films life and death are precious and constantly threatened.
In this film all of the performances are top notch. Billy bob Thornton doesn’t get as much recognition as he deserves for this reserved illuminating performance. His character is quiet so everyone assumes he is simple, but he hears everything and is actually the sneakiest character. Only because everyone seems to try to pull one on him. That eventually he sets the stage for his own demise.
Frances McDormand is dynamite as his motor mouthed firecracker of a wife, who seems to be the yang to his young. Even when he suspects her of cheating, he loves her so much. He can’t bring himself to do anything to her. Even though she isn’t in the film that much. You miss her when she isn’t around.
Scarlett Johnasson is perfectly cast in this film. In an early role. As she is one of the protagonists downfall. As she is his vision of purity and innocence that he puts his faith in, but like everything else. It is not what it seems.
The film reminds one of TAXI DRIVER as it places a character who has certain beliefs and is in the bottom of the barrel socially. Who rebels against the evil he sees. In his own mind to save someone else and what happens when the world strikes back.
This film has a charm. As dramatic as it is presented the film feels more like a concerto from the directors.
The film seeks to expose a kind of quirkiness in middle America in it’s youth with wholesomeness, weirdness and strange interests. As the film moves along. You also begin to notice the little nuances and how unassuming the film is and even through the bodies pile up and there is a dour mood that hangs over this film. It is still quite hilarious.
This film also amazes as it shows how Billy bob’s character life is so mundane and boring and even though he gets into more and more trouble and complications his mood and demeanor always stays the same, cool and collected.
When it comes to this film there is a femme fatale but her innocence is only part of his inspiration as later when she throws herself at him. It is something that only adds to his eventual downfall. Here he is more driven by actors by on his own desires that no one actually asked him to participate. It seems he is motivated more out of boredom and wanting something more out of life. Something we can all identify with maybe not the extremes he goes to though.
Even as the film isn’t necessarily personal. As it goes through the motions of being a genre exercise. The film fills with a sympathy for all involved even if they ask for it or not. Most are guilty of something even if it’s more a betrayal of what was thought of them or their public persona. Though none quite as guilty as our protagonist whose greatest crime seems to be his unemotional reaction and feelings for all that is happening. By the end a kind of peace comes over him as he feels in some way that he deserves all of this.
The score is beautiful and ferocious that helps take you to the depths of the story and gives a nice rhythm and theme to the characters actions and mindset
This is also a beautiful looking film. The shots, the angles, the production design, the cinematography and especially the lighting are all breathtaking. I can’t recommend this film highly enough. I even one the soundtrack for it. After all it is a score that all alone can bring a tear to the eye.
This film doesn’t get talked about as much as the directors other films, but then again considering their track record and how many modern classics they have. Some get lost in the shuffle. As they have a continued excellence. Though this film seems subdued from them than usual. So that the film comes off just as the character does. As they are such fans and students of noir and mysteries. That they often make seamless ones themselves that are modern and classic at the same time.
Grade: A
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