Starring: Billy Bob Thornthon, Frances McDormand, James Gandolfini, Tony Shalhoub, Scarlett Johansson. Drama/Comedy Directed by the Coen brothers.Synopsis: A barber in 1949 California suspects his wife might be cheating on him and uses this to blackmail her paramour in an attempt to get some money for a business investment, but things don't go exactly as planned and lead to unforseen consequences.
Say what you will about Billy Bob Thornton (Chrystal), the man is extremely talented and in terms of pure acting, he is just as good than all but a very few.
In The Man Who Wasn't There, he reivents himself again, this time as a nondescript, slightly dull, "average Joe" barber named Ed Crane. His life is fairly straightforward, told perfectly in the black and white of the film and Thornton's dry narration throughout.
The only thing even remotely interesting about barber Ed Crane's life is the fact that he is pretty sure his wife (Frances McDormand Aeonflux) is having an affair with her boss, (James Gandolfini The Taking Of Pelham 123), Big Dave a gregarious fellow who revels in telling World War II stories and is married to money.
Frankly, Ed seems fairly ambivalent about the possible affair, but when an opportunity presents itself to get involved in a business venture that will corner the market on the new technique of dry cleaning...well, Ed sees an opportunity to get the 10 grand he needs to invest in the business of the future.
So, a little anonymous blackmail to his wife's lover, quick 10 grand to invest, and everything should be hunky dory, right? Well, as you might guess, things don't often go according to plan in a blackmail scheme (particularly in a movie) and, though Ed gets his 10 grand, let's just say things get kind of messy and Big Dave ends up dead and Ed's wife is charged with the murder which, of course, means that a high priced defense lawyer (Tony Shalhoub Primary Colors) has to be brought in to defend her at significant cost.
Now, right now, this likely doesn't seem to like too much of a comedy but, trust me, the humor is there, it is very, very dry and very, very dark. But, frankly, I think this flick is as comedic as anything else, a kind of sardonic look at life through the eyes of someone with absolutely nothing special about him, and no real feelings of negativity towards anyone else so much as a desire to get something better out of life. But, in such a way as kind of assuming there must be something better, if for no other reason than he probably kind of deserves it.
Personally, I find this kind of 'looking for something better' theme kind of a staple of Coen brothers films, and a very good comedic tool. Billy Bob is just wonderful in this one in his understated role, and all the other main players carry their weight, too. Look for Scarlett Johansson (The Spirit) is the quintessential "Lolita" or 'young siren' role and look for her last scene with Billy Bob to take you somewhere you didn't expect to go in this film.
Overall, I liked it and I think if you like Billy Bob Thornton, you will like this flick, too.
Leave a comment