~~~~
Blood Simple. | 1984
| ★★★★★
When
a private detective (M. Emmet Walsh) catches a bar owner’s wife (Frances
McDormand) in flagrante delicto with one of his barmen (John Getz), the wronged
party (Dan Hedaya) hires said dick to kill them both. However, reneging on
their deal, the gumshoe fakes their murders and kills him instead.
Subsequently, the bartender discovers his boss's body and, assuming his new
girlfriend to be responsible, sets about tidying up the mess. The trouble is
he’s not quite dead yet. And this is only the start of their problems, in the
Coens’ masterful, dangerously atmospheric debut. Beautifully unhurried pacing,
majestically neon-lit photography, and a handful of outstanding performances
combine to quite magnificent effect.
Crimewave |
Sam Raimi | 1985 | ★★★★★
In
Raimi’s campily cartoonish cult classic, a convicted mass murderer desperately
tries to prove his innocence as he is strapped into the electric chair, telling
of how his love for a beautiful woman came to bring him into conflict with a
pair of ruthless hitmen, and of how, in the midst of such a desperate
situation, he became the most unlikely of heroes. Filled with delicious black
humour, wonderfully full-blooded performances, deliriously dynamic direction, and
brilliant Max Fleischer-like dialogue, Crimewave
proves an escapist delight of the highest order.
Raising Arizona | 1987
| ★★
When
he marries a local law-enforcement officer, a career criminal determines to go
straight. However, when it becomes apparent that he and his new bride will be
able to have kids neither naturally nor by way of adoption, his desperate wife
convinces him to come out of retirement and kidnap one of the Arizona Quints – five
children born to furniture tycoon Nathan Arizona. Still, with swingers and
felons for friends, and a $25,000 reward put up for the baby’s return, keeping
hold of the child proves a mighty task, in the Coens’ mildly entertaining piece
of madcappery. Surprisingly amusing slapstick raises a few smiles and often
proves laugh-out-loud funny, but an inconsistency of tone and pace and a
somewhat misjudged score detract somewhat.
Miller's Crossing | 1990
| ★★★★
When
his mobster boss starts a gang war over his ill-advised protection of his
girlfriend’s no-good brother, a canny consigliere with ever-increasing gambling
debts confesses to his involvement with said same woman, and goes over to work
for his rival. However, just whose interests his manipulative actions are
designed to serve is not immediately clear, with friends and foes played off
against each other with consummate ease. Labyrinthine plotting, uniformly
excellent performances, and exquisite productions values combine to seductive
effect, in the Coens’ plot-heavy yet alluringly atmospheric gangster picture.
Barton Fink | 1991
| ★★★★★
The
toast of Broadway after the success of his first play, Barton Fink, the
self-proclaimed voice of the average working stiff, heads off to Los Angeles,
enticed by a $1,000-a-week contract with a Hollywood studio. Before long,
though, loneliness and self-doubt take a hold of him, as he struggles to get to
grips with the writing of a Wallace Beery wrestling picture. Never the less,
small comfort comes from the friendships that he forms with his larger-than-life
neighbour and a famous author’s personal secretary. However, as the days pass,
his time in Tinseltown becomes ever more nightmarish, in the Coens’ beautifully
paced, exquisitely photographed, and distinctively scored allegorical
masterpiece, which features an excellent central performance, great support,
and a number of scene-stealing cameos.
The Hudsucker Proxy | 1994
| ★★★★★
Following
the untimely suicide of Hudsucker Industries’ head honcho, a hopelessly naïve
small town business school graduate is promoted from the mailroom to the post
of president, when the New York corporation’s corrupt board determines to
depress the stock in order to snap it all up for themselves at bargain prices.
However, their nefarious intentions are blunted considerably by the titular
schlub’s big idea – The Hula Hoop (“you know, for kids!”), which soon has the
company’s stock prices rising exponentially, in the Coens’ formally exhilarating
and decidedly hilarious yet strangely affecting homage to Frank Capra et al.
Fargo | 1996 | ★★★★★
A
Minnesotan car salesman, in desperate need of quick money, arranges to have a
pair of goons kidnap his wife in order to extract a million dollars from his
wealthy-but-miserly father-in-law. However, things quickly begin to go wrong
when his hired thugs start to accumulate corpses and, subsequently, the
attentions of a heavily pregnant small town police chief, whose simple, loving
home life is about as far removed from the empty, greed-driven lives of those
that she seeks to bring to justice as you could possibly get. Beautifully
paced, immaculately crafted, and consummately performed, the Coens’ insightful,
hilarious, and often strangely moving black comedy-cum-morality tale is perhaps
the finest film of its type.
The Big Lebowski | 1998
| ★★★★★
When
a pornographer’s hired thugs leave him with a urine-stained rug after mistaking
him for his millionaire namesake, Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski goes off in search
of reparations. Instead, however, he finds himself at the centre of a million
dollar ransom plot, when the big Lebowski’s trophy bride is (or perhaps isn’t)
kidnapped. Aided by his ‘nam-obsessed ten pin bowling teammate, Walter, he
strives to find out who did what to whom and why, as things become ever more
complicated and farcical. Pleasingly convoluted plotting, wonderful comic performances,
and instantly quotable dialogue combine to decidedly hilarious yet deceptively
thoughtful effect, in the Coens’ allegorical comic masterpiece.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? | 2000
| ★★★★
During
The Great Depression, three escaped convicts embark on a Homeric odyssey in
search of buried treasure, encountering along the way a musician who has sold
his soul to the devil (with whom they record a hit record), George “Babyface”
Nelson (with whom they rob a bank), a wail of sirens (with whom they, well…),
and a one-eyed travelling bible salesman (who robs them blind). Expertly
blending high and low culture, and featuring wonderful comic performances,
exceptional production values, and memorable musical numbers, the Coens’ sprawling
period comedy proves an absolute delight.
The Man Who Wasn't There | 2001
| ★★★★★
The
Coens’ alluringly melancholy black comedy sees a morose barber – who is looking
to invest in a dry-cleaning business – blackmail his wife’s lover in order to raise
the necessary $10,000 stake. However, when all goes wrong, and death and
misunderstanding follow, his wife ends up in jail accused of embezzlement and
murder. A hot shot lawyer offers a glimmer of hope, and a teenaged pianist
proves a welcome diversion, but his fate seems set. Gorgeous photography,
seductive pacing, a compelling central performance, and a raft of hilarious
supporting turns combine to hugely entertaining effect.
Intolerable Cruelty | 2003
| ★★★
When
a brilliant but restless marital attorney robs her of her hard-earned divorce
settlement, a beautiful gold-digger sets out to gain vengeance upon him, but
doesn’t anticipate the genuine feelings of love that soon sprout between the
pair, in the Coens’ oft hilarious but generally rather subdued comedy. The
dialogue proves fun and the plotting unpredictable, with several of the
performances also catching the eye. However, the direction is strangely
lifeless and the tone somewhat uneven.
The Ladykillers | 2004
| ★★
A
gang of criminals successfully plans and executes a casino heist from the dank basement
of a God-fearing old woman, (from whom the mob’s silver-tonged leader has been
renting a room). However, when she becomes aware of their nefarious activities (realising
that their musical cover was merely a ruse) the five ne’er-do-wells determine
to bump her off – a task that proves easier said than done, in the Coens’
sporadically entertaining but decidedly uneven remake of Alexander
Mackendrick’s 1955 classic. Though rather blandly crafted, The Ladykillers does nevertheless feature some amusing performances
– with Irma P. Hall’s hilarious turn being the pick. However, Tom Hanks’s surprisingly
insipid central performance proves irredeemable.
Tuileries | 2006
| ★★★
Sat
minding his own business in the eponymous station with no one for company but
his decidedly pessimistic travel guide, an American tourist (Steve Buscemi,
hilarious) suddenly finds himself dangerously in the middle of a lovers’
quarrel, when he makes unfortunate eye contact with quite the wrong person, in
the Coens’ mirthful, lovingly crafted short film.
No Country for Old Men | 2007
| ★★★★★
Having
happened upon the bloody aftermath of a fatal shootout in the desert, an
ordinary Joe procures two million dollars’ worth of drug money from the scene,
and cautiously returns home to his loving wife. However, a foolhardy mission of
mercy ensures that he soon has an insane and decidedly unprofessional hitman on
his tail. With its deliberate, measured pace, minimalist sensibilities, and
enigmatic ending, this is perhaps the Coens’ least commercial offering to date.
However, with Tommy Lee Jones’s excellent performance at the film’s moral
centre, it proves itself a thoroughly compelling, decidedly haunting
existential thriller.
World Cinema | 2007
| ★★★
A
cowboy (replete with hat, boots – the works) walks into an art house cinema,
and begins to question its vaguely apprehensive ticket office clerk about the
relative merits of its two current releases – Jean Renoir’s timeless classic La Règle du Jeu and Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s more divisive Climates. Wittily playing
on our prejudices, this short – made as part of the anthology film To Each His Own Cinema – proves a small
delight.
Burn after Reading | 2008
| ★★★★
After
happening upon the memoirs of a former CIA analyst, and believing them to be of
considerable monetary value, two gym employees attempt to finagle some sort of
remuneration from their rightful owner, and subsequently – when that doesn’t
work – from the Russians. However, a combination of coincidence, bad luck, and
incompetence ensures that their ill-conceived scam goes anything but to plan. Coming
across like one of the Coens’ typical morality tales, only without the moral, this
cynical farce proves decidedly hilarious, but lacks the heart and soul of their
best work. That said, the film is very well-crafted and the performances all
good, with John Malkovich’s full-blooded turn deserving of special mention.
A Serious Man | 2009
| ★★★★★
A
meek and mild suburban physics professor battles (or at least comes up against)
various snowballing, financially daunting personal and professional problems –
not the least of which being his impending divorce – the sum of which
gradually, as his increasingly desperate pleas for help – to friends,
relatives, lawyers, and rabbis alike – go unanswered, pummels him into
submission. Driven by the excellent Michael Stuhlbarg’s remarkable central
performance, the Coens’ frequently hilarious yet decidedly disquieting ’60s-set
existential black comedy proves quite unlike anything else.
True Grit | 2010
| ★★★
A
confident, assured 14-year-old girl hires a grizzled, hard-drinking US Marshal
(with a notable kill record) to track down and bring to justice the man who
robbed and murdered her father. Also looking for the fugitive is a cocksure
Texas Ranger, who looks to join forces. However, having joined up with a gang
of outlaws, the cowardly killer’s capture proves bloody and difficult, in the
Coens’ skilled adaptation of Charles Portis’s 1968 novel – previously adapted
in 1969 (and to much lighter effect) with John Wayne in the lead. This version
– better crafted, and featuring far more accomplished performances – proves
significantly superior.
Gambit | Michael Hoffman |
2012 | ★★
A London-based
curator enlists the aid of a rodeoing Texan woman in his plan to fleece his
boss of twelve million pound, passing off a forged painting as a much-sort-after,
long-missing Monet. However, with things not going to plan and costs quickly mounting
up, he soon finds himself heavily in debt and increasingly desperate, in Hoffman’s
mildly diverting though generally rather flat Coen brothers-scripted caper. The
farcical, Carry On-esque mid-section proves good fun, but much of the film is
rather ho-hum. Solidly enough crafted, the main fault lies with the surprisingly
lacklustre performances of its well-assembled cast.
