Barnes & Noble

This intricately plotted, beautifully photographed homage to post-World War II film noir is nothing short of remarkable -- even if it’s also, in the words of noir novelist James M. Cain, "just a little bit cold around the heart." Billy Bob Thornton, who’s undeniably compelling in his most restrained performance ever, plays a taciturn small-town barber who blackmails his wife’s philandering boss. He just wants enough money to invest in a dry-cleaning business, but his scheme goes horribly awry when the blackmail victim turns up dead -- and the finger of suspicion points in the barber’s direction. Frances McDormand plays Thornton’s brittle wife with just the right touch of weary indignation, and James Gandolfini is letter-perfect as her smarmy employer. Jon Polito (as a smooth-talking promoter), Tony Shalhoub (as a hard-charging lawyer), and Scarlett Johansson (as a virginal teen) all deliver memorable supporting turns. The script by filmmaking brothers Joel and Ethan Coen (O Brother, Where Art Thou?), while clearly inspired by such classic films as The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity, playfully tweaks genre conventions with welcome flashes of black humor. The crisp, Oscar-nominated black-and-white cinematography of Roger Deakins evokes noir masterpieces of the ‘40s and enhances the shadowy, unsettling atmosphere conjured up by the Coens. The Man Who Wasn’t There shows the talented brothers at the top of their game and is a top-flight melodrama that bears comparison to the best examples of the genre it celebrates. Joel and Ethan supply a commentary for the DVD -- their first ever, with Thornton along for the ride. There are also deleted scenes, interviews with principal cast members, a making-of featurette, and a photo gallery.

All Movie Guide

Set in a sleepy Northern California town in the 1940s, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen's The Man Who Wasn't There stars Billy Bob Thornton as Ed Crane, a humble barber who suspects his hard-hearted and hard-drinking wife Doris (Frances McDormand) of having an affair with her boss (James Gandolfini). When a jocular stranger (Jon Polito) breezes into town hinting at the fortune to be made investing in an outlandish-sounding new invention called dry cleaning, Ed hatches a blackmail scheme he hopes will make him rich and get him some revenge at the same time. His plan goes horribly awry when he accidentally commits a murder for which Doris ends up being blamed, landing her in the slammer and Ed at the mercy of blowhard big-city lawyer Freddy Riedenschneider (Tony Shalhoub). Filmed in black-and-white by three-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins, The Man Who Wasn't There was inspired by the seedy crime novels of James M. Cain, putting a distinctly Coen brothers' spin on the film noir tradition. Though spiked with their characteristic humor, its moody atmosphere hearkens back to the darker moments of Blood Simple and Fargo -- a marked departure from the high-spirited slapstick of O Brother Where Art Thou. ~ Tom Vick, All Movie Guide

New York Times

Full of delightful idiosyncrasies and surprising bits of acting. A.O. Scott

Washington Post

A glorious tribute to the splendors of what should rightfully be called the blackish and whitish movie. Stephen Hunter

Chicago Sun-Times

The Man Who Wasn't There is so assured and perceptive in its style, so loving, so intensely right, that if you can receive on that frequency, the film is like a voluptuous feast. Roger Ebert

Product Details

• UPC: 025192249624
• Source: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Presentation: B&W, Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français
• Subtitles: Français, Español
• Time: 1:56:00
• Sales Rank: 5,038

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