DVD Review: Man Who Wasn't There, The (C+)

The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
Directed By Joel Coen
Starring Billy Bod Thornton, Frances McDormand and James Gandolfini
Grade: C+

Review by Scott Standish

This movie was a bit disappointing to me, especially since I'm a big Coen brothers fan (The Big Lebowski, Fargo, etc). I knew that this film was supposed to be dark and depressing, but what I wasn't expecting was the slow pacing, and the rather simplistic handling of the film.

The film centers around Billy Bob Thornton's character, a quiet, thoughtful, slightly introspective man that has gotten in a bit over his head. His wife (played by the always interesting to watch Frances McDormand) is an embezzler that may or may not be cheating on him. He feels the need to blackmail the man who has been seeing his wife (played well by James Gandolfini) for enough cash to go in on a crazy dry cleaning venture capital scam. As things go wrong, he starts to develop an attraction for a girl that is barely out of high school.

If this sounds like some kind of Raymond Chandler film, it definitely is supposed to. I remember hearing that the Coen Brothers wanted the Big Lebowski to be like a Raymond Chandler mystery, but starring a complete stoner as the main character. In Lebowski, it worked great. But for The Man Who Wasn't There, its clear that they decided to go ahead and keep this true to the classic film noir formula.

The mood here is definitely dark and the cinematography work here is excellent - everything seems to shimmer in glorious black and white. But the pace of The Man That Wasn't There is a bit slow, the story is not that surprising, and although its an enjoyable film, it doesn't break any new ground.

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