The Man Who Wasn't There (R, 2001)

In THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE, Billy Bob Thornton plays Ed Crane, who thinks of himself simply as "The Barber." He mans the second chair in a barbershop owned by his wife's brother. He isn't particularly happy with his life in Santa Rosa, but he doesn't expect happiness, and even if he did, he wouldn't expect himself to take any steps to find it. He does what he's told, because it never occurs to him that he has a choice. Ed believes that his wife, Doris (Frances McDormand), is having an affair with her affable boss, "Big Dave" Brewster (James Gandolfini). Ed isn't jealous or angry. He has no particular feeling about it. But then he meets Creighton Tolliver (Joe Polito) who tells him that for only $10,000, Ed can invest in a new invention so wonderful it would just have to make a man wealthy – "dry cleaning." Ed decides to blackmail Big Dave to get the money. But things go wrong, two people are murdered, and the wrong person is arrested. A pretty teenager who plays the piano makes Ed think about the world outside of Santa Rosa.

The Coen brothers have a deep appreciation for film history, and many of their past films have been tributes to the 1930s and '40s genres. With The Man Who Wasn't There, they return to the inspiration for their first film, Blood Simple, the films noir of the 1930s and 1940s. With this film they go further than they have before in submersing themselves into the genre, with little of their usual ironic distance.

Part of the code of the films noir was that evil could not triumph. These times may be just as uncertain, but audience expectations have changed. This movie is so traditional in structure, tone, language, and content that it might bewilder viewers not familiar enough with the genre to recognize that some of the names in the movie are taken from noir classics like Double Indemnity and Gandolfini's performance seems to channel the brilliant, underrated 1940's actor, Paul Douglas. They will, however, appreciate outstanding performances from the entire cast, especially Tony Shaloub as a hotshot lawyer. Like all Coen brothers films, it is filled with stunning images, this time brilliantly filmed in black and white.

Studio: USA Films
Director: Joel Coen
Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, James Gandolfini
Genre: Drama
Run time: 116 minutes
Theatrical release: November 2, 2001
DVD release: October 1, 2002
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: a scene of violence