One of the most celebrated duos in independent films, the Coen Brothers of Joel and Ethan helped shape the eccentricities and uniqueness of independent films through their movies. From 1985's Blood Simple to quirky comedies like 1987's Raising Arizona, 1998's The Big Lebowski, and 2000's O Brother, Where Art Thou? to more stranger, dramatic-type films like 1990's Miller's Crossing , 1991's Barton Fink, and their 1996 masterpiece Fargo. Throughout their career, the Coen Brothers always found a way to standout from indie films while gaining some mainstream success. In 2001, the Coen Brothers stray away from their quirkiness to film their darkest film to date, The Man Who Wasn't There.

Written by the Coen Brothers, produced by Ethan, and directed by Joel (though both brothers really do direct and produce their films), The Man Who Wasn't There is about a quiet, rigid barber who suspects his wife of having an affair with her boss. When he gets into a scam-deal, he blackmails his wife's lover and it backfires as he accidentally kills him. Unlike most Coen Brothers' films including 1994's The Hudsucker Proxy, The Man Who Wasn't There is the duo at their most straightforward while a bit of their quirkiness appears in the film. Set in Northern California at post-World War II 1940s, the duo give the film an authentic, classic, black-and-white look with acclaimed cinematographer Roger Deakins. While it's nowhere in the league of Fargo, Raising Arizona or The Big Lebowski, The Man Who Wasn't There is a compelling and rich drama from the Coen Brothers.

The film begins at a barbershop where a quiet, straight-laced barber named Ed Crane (Billy Bob Thornton) is cutting hair as a second chair barber. He works with his brother-in-law and shop owner Frank (Michael Badalucco), who often talks a lot of nonsense to his customers, including kids while Ed just cuts the hair. Not many people in their tranquil, Northern California town know who Ed is, since he never really talks. Ed doesn't even talk much to his wife Doris (Frances McDormand) who works at a department store run by a big-shot named Big Dave (James Gandolfini). Doris invites Big Dave and his wife and store heiress Ann Nirdlinger (Katherine Borowitz) to a dinner party where Ed suspects that Doris having an affair with Big Dave. While he's always friendly with Dave, Ed never talks about the affair and just keeps everything to himself.

Then one day, a brash businessman from Sacramento named Creighton Tolliver (Jon Polito) comes up with a business proposal for anyone interested in a thing called dry cleaning. Ed is interested and wants to become a silent business partner. He decides to secretly blackmail Big Dave into giving him $10,000 and Dave gets scared during a dinner party at the store. Ed is wondering if he is doing the right thing as he finds comfort through a young, talented pianist named Birdy (Scarlett Johansson) who plays a lovely Beethoven piano sonata (that is played throughout the film). Ed finally receives the money from a garbage can and gives it to Tolliver but isn's sure if he's doing the right thing. After a disastrous wedding reception for Doris' cousin where she got drunk, Ed takes her home where he gets a call from Dave. He goes to the store where Dave works and Dave finds out it's him and the two get into a fight where Ed accidentally stabs Dave in the neck.

The next day, Ed pretends nothing has happened when a couple of cops come to talk to him that Doris had been arrested for the murder of Big Dave. Ed and Frank are in trouble as they go and find a lawyer. Ed turns to his neighbor and Birdy's father Walter Abundas (Richard Jenkins) who suggests to get a hotshot lawyer named Freddy Riedenschneider (Tony Shalhoub). Frank and Ed get Freddy to take Doris' case by turning the barbershop deed to the bank while Ed tells Doris about the affair and Dave's murder. Ed finds himself through turmoil and Freddy's approach to the trial wasn't helping as Ed confessed to Freddy about Dave's murder. Ed also learned that Tolliver had conned him and he never got his money back. Even a strange visit from Ann Nirdlinger brings Ed at an uncomfortable state since she is talking about UFOs. The only thing that brings Ed some peace is through Birdy's piano playing as the trial looms.

On the day of the trial, some shocking news happens when Doris, all of a sudden, dies and the trial is dismissed to Freddy's disgust. Frank becomes depressed and leaves Ed into running the barbershop alone with a new barber. For Ed, his life has been ruined as he finds himself with some money from Doris' will and wanted to use it for something positive. He decides to use the money to manage a music career for Birdy, who isn't sure if she wants a music career. He seeks help from a music expert named Carcanogues (Adam Alexi-Malle) who likes Birdy's playing but feels she lacks passion and is too disciplined to be a serious pianist. Ed feels he let down Birdy but realizes that Birdy isn't as innocent as she seems as tragedy then intervenes with Ed finding himself in a different world.

What makes The Man Who Wasn't There such a different film from previous efforts was the restraint the film took. While the humor of the Coens is in tact, there are only a few moments in the film that doesn't work. Still, for the most part, the flying saucer references and dry cleaning do bring a strange tone to the movie. The directing of the film is as evocative than any other films with imaginative, subtle images that really gives the film a 1940s look. Even with shots where everything is stilted and all of these symbols come into a room. The Coen Brothers' writing is as potent as ever with not just clever, witty dialogue but extremely moving moments while their narrative flows in a smooth, comforting way. After each viewing, the film becomes more seductive to the point that we're seeing a movie by the Coen Brothers but it's a different kind of film.

Complementing the directing style in the cinematography department is longtime regular Roger Deakins. Deakins' masterfully, lush black-and-white photography gives the film a noir-like feel that hadn't been felt since the Coens' 1985 debut Blood Simple. With help from production designer Dennis Gassner and costume designer Mary Zophres, the film captures the look of late 1940s with the right detail and tone that helps Deakins' photography shine.

The editing of Roderick Jaynes (the alias of the Coen Bros.) is wonderfully paced in its slow but mesmerizing style that helps to convey the genre. With the piano sonnets of Beethoven played throughout the film, longtime Coen Brothers composer Carter Burwell brings a dark, eerie score with his lush orchestral arrangements to capture the noir, restrained tone of the movie.

Then there's the film rich cast with wonderful cameos from Christopher McDonald and The Hudsucker Proxy star Jennifer Jason Leigh, in an un-credited cameo that plays up to the film's quirks. Smaller performances from Adam Alexi-Malle as Carcanogues and Richard Jenkins as Walter Abundas are wonderfully performed while Katherine Borowitz give a haunting performance as Big Dave's wife Ann. Scarlett Johansson meanwhile, delivers her most mature performance to date as Birdy Abundas. Johansson brings a complexity to her role as the innocent, bright Birdy who has purity to Ed Crane but also has a haunting presence with her piano playing that has a dark element to the film. Johansson marks a transition with her performance where the cynical teenager of Ghost World becomes the ingenue to Thornton as she would later become the gifted actress of films like Lost in Translation and Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Coens regular Michael Badalucco brings a comical performance as Frank, who seems to know everything but is really a childlike character. Tony Shalhoub is the film's best supporting performance as the fast-talking Freddy Riedenschneider with his over-the-top persona and egomaniacal tone that tops his previous Coens performance as Ben Geisler in Barton Fink.

Coen regular Jon Polito also brings a comical presence to the film as Creighton Tolliver while James Gandolfini brings a wonderful performance as Big Dave with his big-man persona and complex emotions when he's threatened before going to his mean, Tony Soprano mode. Longtime Coens regular (and Joel's wife) Frances McDormand delivers another masterful performance as Ed's wife Doris. McDormand brings a role as the cheating wife who is in an unhappy lifestyle but when she realizes what Ed has done for, McDormand makes her character be filled with regret and sadness as she also combines comedic elements early on.

Billy Bob Thornton is the film's greatest performance as the chain-smoking Ed Crane with his restrained, quiet performance of a man who is trying to find a way out of his dismal life. Thornton gives an understated tone while having wonderful scenes with all the actors, notably Gandolfini, McDormand, Johansson, and Shalhoub. This is by far one of Thornton's best performances.

***Updated, DVD Tidbits on 9/20/04***

The film’s regional 1 DVD comes in two formats with many preferring the wide screen format. With 5.1 Digital Surround Sound for English and French plus French and Spanish subtitles, the film has loads of features. With a theatrical trailer and two TV spots, the film also includes a lovely photo gallery and a filmography of several of the film's cast and crew.

The making of feature includes interviews with Thornton, McDormand, Gandolfini, Badalucco, and Shalhoub along with the Coen Brothers and cinematographer Roger Deakins, who all give insight on what the film is about along with a few outtakes. The five deleted scenes don't add a lot to the film except three styles of haircuts and Doris' idea of a salad along with an alternate first argument scene of the courtroom with Tony Shalhoub in top form.

The film also includes two great features for fans of the Coen Brothers. One is a near-hour interview with cinematographer Roger Deakins, who had worked with Coens since 1991's Barton Fink. Deakins gives insight on the art of cinematography along with his influences and how The Man Who Wasn't There came together. While it's long, the interview is a must-see for fans and aspiring filmmakers, notably cinematographers.

The other big feature is a feature-length audio commentary from the Coen Brothers and Billy Bob Thornton, which is by far one of the funniest commentaries heard on DVD. The trio talk a lot of things in the movies including references of a story Gandolfini are telling which is true based on the life of former Coen Brothers cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld's father. Plus, Thornton makes fun of his Sling Blade persona where he goes "Ed Crane does..." "Ed Crane kills Big Dave and talks to wife again"; "Ed Crane has a boner". Thornton also gives praises to a lot of the crew and cast, notably Scarlett Johansson who he calls "a tough kid" and the Coens admit, they find her intimidating, especially in a scene where she was supposed to eat sunflower seeds and Joel says, she looked at him as if he did something idiotic where Thornton calls her one of the best actresses around.

While the Region 1 DVD has some great moments, there is something that the Coen Brothers fans must have which is the Region 2 DVD. The Region 2 DVD has a colored-version of the movie that looks like a somewhat-bad colorization of black-and-white films but the Coens gave it some lush coloring to make it look plausible.

***End of DVD Review***

While it's not as accessible or strange as many films by the Coen Brothers, The Man Who Wasn't There is still an excellent and beautiful movie. With a great ensemble cast and beautiful cinematography, The Man Who Wasn't There can be appreciated by those who love films with tranquil textures while some fans will miss the eccentric tone of the Coen Brothers' previous films. While the film's minor flaw in the Coen Brothers' quirks don't make this film a masterpiece, it's still an excellent achievement for Joel & Ethan Coen. While it's no The Big Lebowski, The Man Who Wasn't There is another winner from the Coen Brothers.

Coen Brother Reviews: Blood Simple - Raising Arizona - Miller's Crossing - Barton Fink - (The Hudsucker Proxy) - Fargo - The Big Lebowski - O Brother, Where Art Thou? - (Intolerable Cruelty) - (The Ladykillers (2004 Remake)) - No Country for Old Men - Burn After Reading - A Serious Man

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age