Hey folks, Harry here.... and while THE MAN WHO WAS NOT THERE is a very very strange film indeed, it is a film that I dug the hell out of at Cannes this year. Take a look and see if it is your cup of joe...
Hey all! Everyone's favorite Ho-bbit is back, this time with a fresh review of the Coen Brothers' next feature, The Man Who Wasn't There.
Now before I began whatever review I can muster, I must throw in a little disclaimer to warn all you loyal readers out there: I am not a Coen Brothers' die-hard.
There, I said it.
Now before you grip me by my hairy feet and toss me to Sauron, hear me out - I said I'm not a die-hard fan. But I am a fan. I like their work and their style and I think their writing is absolutely fabulous, but a few years ago you wouldn't have found me rushing to the theatre opening night to check them out. I did see O Brother in its first weekend and I really, really liked it. Yet as of now I would never be appointed to head a case-study on Coen Brother films.
That out of the way, I saw The Man Who Wasn't There and I liked it, I really did. I liked it but didn't love it. I didn't love it but then again I don't recall seeing a movie as beautiful as this in awhile.
It‚s filmed entirely in black and white and I must say that there is something magical about that sort of look in present-day films. The lighting and shadows along with the clarity of the picture, costuming, camera-movements Maybe it's how the movie-going public, in general, tends to associate black and white with a more "primitive" style of filmmaking and when comparing the graininess of yesteryear to today's quality, older films seem, well Whatever it is, however you explain it, the bottom line is that The Man Who Wasn't There is pretty as hell. Practically any frame could be captured at random and be worth a thousand words. The whites are pure and clean, the blacks are abyssal, and the mix of the two paint a truly dulled world of gray.
And all this art direction really lends itself to the story. Essentially a story of adultery, blackmail, and murder (not exactly the most colorful of subjects) the plot moves forward slowly and tiredly, which is the point. Narrated through the eyes of Billy Bob Thorton‚s Ed Crane, Crane‚s world happens before him. He doesn't talk much and is unexcited. He talks to us but mainly watches everyone around him who all seem to have a knack for never-ending arrogant babble.
And this is one of those films where there‚s more to small-town-everyone than it seems. Behind the subdued barber Crane there is a jealous husband. Behind his wife‚s, „I love ya, Ed,‰ there is an adulteress. Behind every business deal is a man who'll take the money and run. The lawyers waste money and the cops don't care about the townspeople. Everyone has a gray agenda it‚s the perfect world inside their head and this is the type of film where no one gets off clean. Everyone ends up paying for their sins.
Billy Bob is fine as Crane despite the fact he doesn't talk much. He just sits there and observes the idiots around him flap their mouths around.
A blonde Francis McDormand plays Crane‚s wife, a woman who married Crane after two weeks of knowing him. She has a small part but turns in another astonishing performance. Guys, this girl continues to amaze. She goes across the board, from uncontrollable laughter to a brokenness you would only know if there was absolutely no way out of the hole you had dug for yourself. She is truly one of the great female actresses of our day and this role proves that yet again the Coen‚s know how to raise a performance out of her.
Two other performances stand out. One is Jon Polito‚s twitchy businessman, a „fairy‰ on whom you can just smell the obesity. The other is, I think, Tony Shalhoub, playing a lawyer from Sacramento who thinks he‚s God‚s gift to the law. Both are hilarious and well-written.
Overall, the film is good and will rank up there with some of the Coen‚s better stuff. Then again, I‚m probably not the one to be asking. It was a little slow in the middle, and the acting, dialogue, camera movements and music all aid this pace. The camera remains mainly static or in slow-tracking or pan mode and the music is melodic and light, mainly piano and strings. But then again, maybe it‚s supposed to have that small-town pace.
I think the film is slated for a Thanksgiving release so when it comes out all you Coen die-hards can rush to the theatres and check it out. For those of you out there like me who maybe are a little more subdued, see it if you'd like, but be sure to email me with your thoughts when you‚re done. The Man Who Wasn't There exists, but just not on one of my Top Ten lists Til next time,
Bimbo Baggins
Email me at: Bimbo_Baggins@aintitcoolmail.com
