The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)

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

Colour:

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:

Billy Bob Thornton jokingly made it look like Ed Crane had an erection in one of the scenes where he's watching Scarlett Johansson's character playing the piano. Only one of the prop guys noticed during production. When the Coen Brothers later found out, they made it clear that Ed would not be aroused in the scene.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The state of California has never used the electric chair as a means of execution.

Quotes:

Ed Crane: Time slows down right before an accident, and I had time to think about things. I thought about what an undertaker had told me once - that your hair keeps growing, for a while anyway, after you die, and then it stops. I thought, "What keeps it growing? Is it like a plant in soil? What goes out of the soil? The soul? And when does the hair realize that it's gone?"

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Making 'The Man Who Wasn't There' (2002) (V)

Soundtrack:

Piano Sonata No.14 in C sharp minor, Op.27 No.2 (Moonlight)

one of the Coen brothers best, a film that becomes a masterpiece after a while.

Joel and Ethan Coens' The Man Who Wasn't There doesn't (how could it) top their first film-noir classic Blood Simple, but it is still an incredibly stylish and acted with pizazz type of film which should definitely get better with multiple viewings. Billy Bob Thornton turns in another top shelve job (geniusly subtle, even for him) as a quiet and observant barber named Ed, who gets drawn into an unfortunate string of events with his wife (Frances McDormand) who has cheated on him with Big Dave (James Gandolfini who in his scattered minutes on the screen shows his ability for Oscar nomination-type work) and with the usual line of events that would come from a noir comes compelling characters and set-pieces that show's Ed in a downfall though it is from a life the never wanted to lead in the first place. If Sartre decided to throw out the politics and religion and stick to the being and nothingness and write a hard-boiled novel, this might be it.

In short, the Coen Brothers have once again struck a little gem in the rough, shot in black and white and stylized to a T. I feel like picking up a Cain book after watching this. And, on top of this, on repeat viewings I can say that it becomes even more engrossing, and just a bit more entertaining if really ready to dig into the atmosphere. It may be thick enough to kill a few stray kittens, but it's got a genuine pathos to it too. And just when you think there isn't enough Coen strangeness, wait till the aliens arrive. A+