Watch The Man Who Wasn't There For Free

Wonderfully offbeat film!

Overrated

Fresh and Exciting

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

In this film, a crime is committed by the most unsuspecting individual: the barber. I already knew the Coen brothers' taste for black humor, evident in "Fargo", which was their first movie I watched. In this film, the humorous and almost sarcastic tone is still present, although its sometimes subtle and mixed with social criticism. Ed wasn't the "man who was not there" because he was a barber, but because society never gave him importance or noticed his existence. His profession ends up becoming a symbol of this. The story is set in the 1950s, so it plays with the ideas and mentality of the time, especially the exaggerated belief in extraterrestrials, just as it makes little allusions to the cinematic aesthetics of that era (B movies, sci-fi, cinema noir). Cinematography helped a lot at this point, with an elegant black and white, balanced tones and nice contrast.Regarding the actors, Billy Bob Thornton is to be congratulated because he has disengaged himself in this challenge with praises. Ed is one of a few people with few sayings and an unimpressive attitude, and the actor's performance, ranging from slightly funny to slightly scary, was very good, set in a gigantic physical and expressive self-control. On the opposite side is Michael Badalucco, in a histrionic and talkative character, where the actor was excellent. Frances McDormand was also fine, especially when she split the screen with Billy Bob, and James Gandolfini did what was expected of him. Scarlett Johansson did quite well in a character who is only innocent in appearance. Finally, a note of appreciation for the soundtrack, where classic works for piano are abundant.

Another excellent film in the canon of the brothers Coen. The only film of theirs I wasn't terribly fond of was "Inside Llewyn Davis," though I have not seen all of their work. Good understated performance by Billy Bob Thornton as the central character. Great casting all around (the late James Gandolfini comes to mind). Terrific script with pleasing surprises. This is not, in my opinion, a Coen bros. masterpiece; however, it is clearly the work of masters of movie-making in peak form. Thornton's nonentity character--never without a cigarette--is sad, tragically human, memorable. He is the kind of guy who just lets life happen around him. This movie is basically as good as neo-noir gets. Black and white was a great, an important, choice. Of those I've seen the only Coen brothers films that were made after this I thought were superior are "A Serious Man" and "No Country for Old Men." I expect this film will continue to age well.

I might be in a minority here, but as a rule Coen brothers' films tend only to get two cheers from me. They are undoubtedly well-made, well-directed, well-scripted, well-acted, imaginative and often funny, but all-too-often there seems to be something lacking. They are invariably clever, but it's a kind of knowing cleverness, and I can't get rid of the sensation that behind it all are Joel and Ethan Coen patting themselves on their backs at how clever they are. Miller's Crossing struck me as not so much a film but an exercise in filmmaking.Fargo was funny, but curiously heartless and cruel. Even Blood Simple, the film with which, as far as I know, they first made their names and which blew me over the first time I saw it, struck me at the second viewing as a tad mechanical: the Coens know all the moves and then some, but something crucial is lacking. So I'm pleased to say The Man Who Wasn't There, as far as I'm concerned, proves to be an exception and a very welcome one at that.Central to its success is Billy Bob Thornton as that man, a curiously inert figure, one almost without personality, and that Thornton is able not just to bring him to life but make him likable and sympathetic is a real achievement. He conveys so much about Ed Crane, the man who wasn't there, by hardly acting. We don't get to know what makes Crane tick or why he is so inert, but we accept him as he is just as we accept the quirks of our family and friends in real life.The Man Who Wasn't There is – rather trendily – billed as neo-noir and it does stay true to the principles of what the French dubbed film noir: the tragic inevitability of the hero's demise, the way it is shot (supposedly in monochrome, but the copy I saw last night was in washed out colour), the hard-boiled dialogue, the various characters – from the 'pansy' shyster to the detectives who come to give Crane bad news, to his wife's boss and lover who is killed and with whose murder Crane's innocent wife is charged.All performances are great but I particularly enjoyed Tony Shalhoub as the expensive hotshot lawyer hired to get Crane's wife off the hook and who comes up with a particularly imaginative defence. And in all of this the Coens', for once, keep their undoubted cleverness in check.So if you like their work without reserve, watch this one. If, like me, you are a tad wary of the brothers and their 'look what bright things we are' schtick, relax, and watch it, too.

Ed Crane (Billy Bob Thornton) is a barber working at his in laws' barber shop. He's relatively unhappy with his life and suspects that his wife Doris Crane (Frances McDormand) is having an affair with her boss Big Dave Brewster (James Gandolfini). Ed gets talking to one of his customers who offers him a stake in his dry cleaning business if Ed stumps up $10,000. Ed doesn't have the money, but hatches a plan to get the money. However, Ed quickly learns that his simple and seemingly flawless plan ends up having far reaching consequences.I know that the Coen Brothers have a die hard cult following of fans, but I've never really been one of them. In fact, I've actually disliked nearly all of their films that I've seen. However, this film is different - this film really impressed me.This film is basically a Cautionary Tale - the Coen Brothers have actually made their audience consider the devastating consequences resulting in being greedy. They also make the audience consider the devastating consequences that one poorly judged action can have on many different people.The Coen Brothers have also created many characters that are not only well developed, but that we can also identify with. Ed Crane is probably the best example; for me he's an idealist, someone who wants to be recognised and remembered, someone who wants to be somebody. This becomes more apparent when he meets Birdy Abunbdas (Scarlett Johansson). Birdy becomes his project or possibly even his redemption. What I liked about Ed is that he was a flawed person rather than a bad person which meant that it was easier to relate to and care for his character. Birdy was an interesting character and it was a shame that her character wasn't developed quite as much as I hoped for - there was a lot of potential with her character which the Coen brothers didn't explore for some reason.I'll admit that in the early stages of this film that I thought the narrative was a bit shaky and found it a bit nonsensical, but as the film progressed I found myself more and more engrossed and thought that everything ended up being tied together nicely. As mentioned. it's a Cautionary Tale and is a film that will certainly make you think.The film is well-shot and the 1940's era has been captured well. Acting was roundly good across the board with Gandolfini and Coen brothers favourite McDormand arguably putting in the best performances.Overall then this is a very good film (and that's coming from someone who isn't a big Coen brothers fan). I thought that the writing was sharp, the acting was good, the plot was interesting (after a bit of a plodding first half). This is a good piece of noir and a very good film in general. Highly recommended for fans of noir or fans of the Coen brothers.