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:

The hotel that Tolliver is staying at is called the Hobert Arms, which is also the name of the apartment building where Philip Marlowe lives in The Big Sleep (1946).

Goofs:

Continuity: The Crane automobile is a two-door sedan, but the flying car in the slow-motion accident scene is a coupe. Also, the rolling hubcap is not original to that vehicle.

Quotes:

Ed Crane: I don't know where I'm being taken. I don't know what I'll find, beyond the earth and sky. But I'm not afraid to go. Maybe the things I don't understand will be clearer there, like when a fog blows away. Maybe Doris will be there. And maybe there I can tell her all those things they don't have words for here.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bad Santa: Not Your Typical Christmas Movie (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Piano Sonata No.23 in F minor, Op.57 (Appassionata)

Modern noir reaches a new high

Noir has been a big theme in much of the Coen Brothers film arsenal but they dive head-first into the genre here in The Man Who Wasn't There. Cinematographer Roger Deakins is at his career best with this film, just when you think he's reached a peak he goes higher. His work in The Man Who Wasn't There is set apart from his past work not only because it's simply the best he's ever done, but also because it's filmed in black and white. This is the darkest Coen Brothers film to date (and yes that includes No Country For Old Men) in both its tone that's shrouded in mystery and its visuals where the shadows are darker than night and thick as concrete. The Man Who Wasn't There also contains some great Coen humor, both dark and straight-up (how can you not laugh at a big fat guy swigging from a jug while riding an even bigger and fatter pig?). This film centers on Ed Crane, a quiet recluse in the middle of 1940s Californian suburbia stuck in a mundane life who tries to find purpose and escape from everyday life. Things start looking up, as an opportunity for change and a new chapter presents itself in the form of a business venture. Naturally, things go awry from the get go as crime and uncertainly follow Crane's hopes for new things step for step.

Billy Bob Thornton is excellent in this film as Ed Crane - he's dry and quiet, yet very cool. Ed Crane is one of the best of the many great Coen Brothers' characters and very relatable in both an extreme and partial ways. Everyone has felt, at least at some point in our lives, that we're just going through the motions in life, sometimes we feel shut out of life altogether or have felt alone even in the most crowded places; and for all us shut off introverts – well, Crane's just our kind of guy. This film features other great performances and characters: Frances McDormand is awesome as the heavily-drinking and promiscuous Mrs. Crane, James Gandolfini gives a solid performance as Big Dave, and Tony Shalhoub steals the spotlight the moment he steps on screen with an electrifying performance as the slick-tongued Freddy Riedenschneider.

The Man Who Wasn't There is a brilliant modern noir film that is one of the best of the Coens and one of the most overlooked films of the decade. It will have you relaxed, laughing, glued to the screen, and shocked beyond belief with a stunning procession of events that will take your breath away.