This film got under my skin. Now have to confess, I've liked everything the Coen Bros. have done -- everything.
But this film stands head and shoulders above 90% of recent movies based on
cinematography and musical score alone.
Add to these the strengths of an amazing series of performances from every single cast member.
The plot is simple: a nearly-invisible man attempts to step outside of the box in which he functions effectively -- and the wheels of grim fate are set in motion.
This is one of three films starring Billy Bob Thornton in 2001. Each is very different, and in this movie, Billy Bob Thornton gives an amazingly restrained performance where we almost will our own feelings into the character. This is a man who has moved through his life with an expression that suggests he knows what's going on or is one step ahead. But behind that expression is a deer in the headlights.
There are other actors, of course-- some Coen Bros. regulars and not a 'throwaway' part in the bunch. Especially wonderful moments are provided for all the actors and each rises to the occasion -- I particularly liked Ed's lawyer/genealogist/widower friend (Richard Jenkins) who in just a few scenes makes an indelible impression as a lost soul. Reliable James Gandalfini is utterly believable as a bluffer at the end of his game. And Tony Shalhoub was robbed of the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his brilliant turn as a brilliant lawyer.
But as I said up front, it's the cinematography and the score that caused me to refer to the greatest movie ever made in the headline. Roger Deakins and constant Coen collaborator Carter Burwell have reached the level of Toland and Hermann in their crafts. See This Film!
But this film stands head and shoulders above 90% of recent movies based on
cinematography and musical score alone.
Add to these the strengths of an amazing series of performances from every single cast member.
The plot is simple: a nearly-invisible man attempts to step outside of the box in which he functions effectively -- and the wheels of grim fate are set in motion.
This is one of three films starring Billy Bob Thornton in 2001. Each is very different, and in this movie, Billy Bob Thornton gives an amazingly restrained performance where we almost will our own feelings into the character. This is a man who has moved through his life with an expression that suggests he knows what's going on or is one step ahead. But behind that expression is a deer in the headlights.
There are other actors, of course-- some Coen Bros. regulars and not a 'throwaway' part in the bunch. Especially wonderful moments are provided for all the actors and each rises to the occasion -- I particularly liked Ed's lawyer/genealogist/widower friend (Richard Jenkins) who in just a few scenes makes an indelible impression as a lost soul. Reliable James Gandalfini is utterly believable as a bluffer at the end of his game. And Tony Shalhoub was robbed of the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his brilliant turn as a brilliant lawyer.
But as I said up front, it's the cinematography and the score that caused me to refer to the greatest movie ever made in the headline. Roger Deakins and constant Coen collaborator Carter Burwell have reached the level of Toland and Hermann in their crafts. See This Film!