"The Man Who Wasn't There" is by no means the Coen Brothers' best film. That doesn't mean it's bad, it just means it's hard to follow in the footsteps of "Fargo" or "Blood Simple." And although it works up a good sweat on the way, "The Man" gets tired halfway there.
According to the credits, Joel does the directing, Ethan does the producing, and they both do the screenwriting. But really they share credit for all of the above, in addition to the editing (though it's credited to the pseudonymous Roderick Jaynes). It's an equation that adds up to film mastery, and it works every time. But some works are stronger than others. (For instance: "Fargo" could take on out"The Hudsucker Proxy any day")
"The Man" is no less cutting-edge or stylistically novel than the Coens' previous efforts. Again, they've come up with a dazzling story, fantastic characters and several thought-provoking, meaning of life motifs; and again, they've gone back in time, staying true to the time period they are inhabiting.
This time, it's the summer of 1949. Billy Bob Thornton stars as Ed Crane, an aloof, reticent barber in a small northern California town. His wife, Doris, is played by the magnificent Academy Award-nominated Frances McDormand (Joel's wife).
The plot is of course hard to explain. Ed is sick of being the barber. He gets wind of the newest thing - dry cleaning - and decides to become the silent partner of an annoyingly long-winded salesman with dry cleaning ambitions (Jon Polito). To do this, he needs The Money, something that barbers just don't have.
When Ed figures out that Doris is two-timing with Big Dave (James Gandolfini), the local tycoon-wannabe, he comes up with an ingenious plan. Ed blackmails Big Dave, who hands over the money. Big Dave somehow ends up dead (my lips are sealed); Doris is falsely accused of murder.
Add in Birdy (Scarlett Johansson), the teenaged piano protege a few doors down; circumloquacious Frank (Michael Badalucco), the principal barber and Doris' brother; and the pompous, overbearing lawyer, Freddy Riedenschneider (Tony Shalhoub). The result is a quirky, at times hilarious, group of characters, supported by an outstanding cast of actors (several of whom are sporting wigs).
McDormand, Gandolfini, Badalucci and Shalhoub are so good in everything that they don't need any more praise. Johansson proves herself once again as one young actress to watch. And Thornton is spectacular as Ed Crane.
Crane is a taciturn man. He doesn't say much, he doesn't respond much, he doesn't move much. In fact, it's like ... it's like he's not even there! But Thornton makes every word, every facial reaction and every move count. On top of that, he went through chain-smoking hell to make this movie. Plus, his wig is fabulous.
As usual, the eccentricities of the Coens' characters verge on absurdity. While most of the cast is able to successfully tread the fine line between believability and caricature, a few of the characters are too overdone. The best example of this is the French pianist whose dreadful accent and flowery gestures are just too hard to stomach.
The film occasions hilarity (espcially when Ed's philosophies on hair are involved), but it's able to retain much of the darkness of classic film noir. Much like "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"'s embrace of the time period's music, "The Man Who Wasn't There" embraces the time period's major film genre. The Coen brothers have reverted back to 1940s film noir, when Technicolor was not yet an option.
This neo-noir film's black and white cinematography is brought to you by Roger Deakins, a long time collaborator of the Coens and a two-time Academy Award nominee. In this film, Deakins is able to recreate the stark, dark feel of classic noir, but with a fresher, sharper edge. Each shot is lit and composed perfectly. The visual effects are stunning.
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So what's wrong with this movie? It gets old. Clocking in at just over two hours, it's not that long, compared to most movies. But it really doesn't need to be this long. When a movie is almost completely pulled together by a constant, monotonous voice-over, as this one is, it's hard to stay engaged. Thornton does a great job as "the man who wasn't there" (a motif that hits us over the head hard, unfortunately), but his voice isn't easy to listen to for two hours straight. Especially when it's not in dialogue.
"The Man Who Wasn't There" is a good movie, better than most in the theatres presently. Yet, despite its cleverness, its profundity and its originality, it's not a movie that will stick with you for long. And frankly, I know Joel and Ethan can do better.
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