The Man Who Wasn't There

Having not really seen any Coen Brothers films previously I was really not too sure what to expect of this neo-noir vehicle of theirs. However, ten minutes into viewing it I realised that this was somehow different to any other film I'd seen before from recent years. I thought it would be a pretentious and manipulative film merely ripping off the old classics under the pretence of homage and art but it is far from that. This beautifully staged, costumed and atmospheric film in icy black and white has a gripping, intelligent plot and a central character who seems so vacuous and unemotional and bored in his suburban life that things turn fantastically dark at a quick, clean pace.

The plot begins reasonably simple (as do the characters), a blackmail attempt on Billy Bob Thornton's part to finance an investment into dry cleaning. However, things soon become very complex and demanding when murder, incorrect indictment and other such things inundate the picture. But still Thornton's character drifts his way through his troubles and offers occasionally inspiring lines of wisdom and the blandly imparted but true philosophies of his life. His boredom and his alienation makes him a dislikeable but trustworthy narrator for such a dark film.

'The man who wasn't there' is a very artful, quietly knowing film, lined with the malignant, full of twists, at times surreal and funny and a film that moves at its own pace to its grim and moving conclusion. It has the basis of a simple film about dissatisfaction from the forties and it investigates the problems with 'surburban boredom' and the darker and more murderous side of resolving this. A very clever film.

Ed's a barber. He doesn't say much. He's bored - or would be if he could be arsed. He has no ambition until a couple of events coincide and coalesce into a glimmer of hope for a bit of a change: first, he thinks there are clear signs that his wife and her boss are having an affair and that bothers him a little and second, a man comes in for a haircut and plants the seed of an idea for a venture capital investment. He hasn't actually got any spare cash but there is someone he can blackmail. It's a simple plan. What could go wrong? ... everything goes wrong. A cascade of unforeseen consequences follow and his world comes tumbling down. It's a disaster.

I first came across this film after I'd tracked down one of my favourite films, "The Hudsucker Proxy". Unbelievably that film isn't available in an unbundled state for Region 2 DVD players. So, disgusted and defeated, I had to buy a whole box of films called "The Coen Brothers' Collection" because it happened to have "The Hudsucker Proxy" in it. It was like a happy accident. There were three other films in the box that I probably wouldn't have watched if I hadn't had to buy the lot in order to get the one film I wanted. "The Man Who Wasn't There" wasn't in the box but after I'd watched those films, I looked for more Coen Brothers' films and found this. A couple of days after the first time I watched it, I was driving home after an exceptionally awful day at work, feeling grim and grumpy and, in an effort to relax and stop grinding my teeth, I started thinking about some of my favourite parts of this film. By half way home I was laughing.

The story is dark, occasionally weird and (if you share the Coen sense of humour) very funny. The acting is just about perfect and the black and white photography is gorgeous. It has all the elements of a favourite film. Highly recommended.

Ed Crane is the chain smoking barber and the man who wasn't there, one of the latest offerings from the impressive Coen brothers. Crane is played by Billy Bob Thornton who in character narrates this bleak film noir vision of an ordinary and invisible man, whose life spirals out of control due to a set of related incidents. There is murder, betrayal and blackmail plus also a slight glimmer of hope for the main protagonist, but there are larger issues at stake here which sets this film apart from its contemporaries.

The plot is set around the murder of a local business man - a distinctly unlike able James Gandolfini ('Big' Dave) and Crane's wife played superbly by one of the Coens favourites - Frances McDormand finds herself as the prime suspect. Things are much more convoluted than that of course, but to discuss the finer points of what happens from here would spoil too much of the plot. What is striking from the moment you start watching this film is the superb performance Thornton puts in, never has a character so openly taciturn and mundane been played with such emotion. You cannot help but feel sorry for Crane, especially when he finds himself in the dock for a crime he did not commit and despite his misgivings, the way Thornton portrays him can only lead you to empathise thoroughly with the mans plight. McDormand once again builds on her reputation from roles in previous Coen brother films, notably Blood simple and Fargo and the rest of the support cast put in good performances especially Tony Shaloub (Monk!) as the big shot lawyer from out of town.

What also makes this a highly likable and original film is the beautiful photography and the music score which suits the pace of the movie perfectly. Although this may not be the Coens most palatable film it is certainly a bold adventure which works well and can sit proudly amongst their finest. Do not be put off by the fact that this is shot in black and white or that the pace of the film can seem slow at times - it is the ideal antidote to much of what is produced in Hollywood. It is also hard to imagine Billy Bob Thornton in a finer role, he plays a man ignored by society, an ordinary man trying to live his life in an ordinary way - he cuts hair. Yes this is a depressing tale of a man with no real place in our world, a man who until he does something extraordinary or notorious will never receive recognition. It is a tale common to modern society and for that fact alone I can highly recommend this film.