Cheap The Man Who Wasn't There (DVD) (Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand) (Ethan Coen, Joel Coen) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Man Who Wasn't There

Just A Little Off the Top
This is one of those films that plants itself in your brain and keeps popping up. Deceptively simple, The Coen brothers' "The Man Who Wasn't There" tells the story of a man who is run over by life. Ed Crane (Billy Bob Thornton) is the ultimate introvert, about as passive a man as you could imagine. When he finally decides to take action, he does something remarkably stupid that has fatal consequences for several people. Thornton's performance is stunning; he keeps us guessing- can he really be that passive and lacking in affect? Is there something going on in there? Can the irony of his life get any heavier?

Things I loved: the black and white, post-war, film noir look; the portrayal of small-town 1949 America; Jon Polito's sleazy salesman (reminding me so much of Jackie Gleason); James Gandolfini's portrayal of a sleazebag likable in spite of himself; Frances McDormand as the domineering unfaithful wife (the scene where she asks her husband to shave her legs in the tub is amazing). Other things I love: the superb use of Beethoven's music (who would have ever guessed it would fit so perfectly in a film noir?); the usual Coen plot twists (the innocent girl wants to do what?); the settings of the department store and the barber shop; the "wave of the future"-dry cleaning.

I bought the French version of the film from amazon.fr. The film title in France is "The Barber," and it won the prize at the Cannes 2001 film festival for Mise en Scène. The three-disc set has the film in black and white, a color version (which I haven't watched yet. I suspect the film will lose a lot of its power in color), and extensive bonus features-- audio commentary from the Cohen brothers and Billy Bob Thornton, a 49 minute documentary on film noir, an interview with the cinematographer, etc.

Come to think of it, this is very much a French film: no car chases, explosions, special effects, just an intimate and profound look into a tragic soul.

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Less is more
The Man Who Wasn't There is the Coen brothers slow-moving film-noirish movie about a chain-smoking barber named Ed Crane (Billy Bob) who has an opportunity to get into the dry-cleaning business, and blackmail his wife's (Francis McDormand) lover (James Gandolfini) for the $10,000 needed to get into the deal with a dry-cleaner (Jon Polito). As with most Coen brothers movies, the simple plot gets involved in subleties that may help or hinder it.

Billy Bob plays Ed with a sedate, reserved manner. Scarlet Johansson has a supporting role as a piano-playing young girl who Ed wants to help get lessons. She turns out to be only a mediocre player, and has no interest in a musical careeer. She does show her gratitude toward Ed in an oral, yet non-verbal way, however.

There are no English subtitles which could have come in handy during the giggly commentary by the Coen's and Billy Bob. The "making of" documentary was a bit below average. The conversation with cinematographer Roger Deakins could have benefitted from his voice-over on top of clips as examples, rather than having to try to remember scenes he is talking about. A few deleted scenes, photo gallery, filmographies and a trailer round out the reasonably-priced DVD.

Rated "R" for some neck-stabbing violence.

Not for everyone, but fans of the Coen brothers, Billy Bob, or Scarlett Johansson should like it. Perhaps generous with 4 stars, I'm giving the movie and extras the benefit of the doubt.

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The Man Who Wasn't There Went Nowhere
The Coen brothers go artsy black and white and it works for the most part - the cinematography is wonderful. Great camera angles, intense shadows and wonderful shades of white/gray/black make "The Man Who Wasn't There" really something to look at. However, actors Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand and James Gandolfini, all have done better work before in other films. You'll find a little bit of intrigue and mystery... but the pace is incredibly slow, and outside of Gandolfini's character being stabbed in the neck, not much happens. The film is all dialogue (and it's none of that trademark witty Coen dialogue we've come to love and expect). The story line is weak and for the most part dull. Thornton's dead-pan monotone delivery of his lines and narration almost drove me insane. No lie, when the movie ended, I said to my wife... "Well, that movie sucked!" I've come to expect so much more from the Coen brothers - they are truly gifted in their medium. With classics to their credit like "Raising Arizona", "Fargo", "O Brother Where Art Thou?", "Miller's Crossing", etc... I can't help but put "The Man That Wasn't There" towards the bottom of their list. Sorry - that's my honest review.