The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)

Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen. Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Shalhoub, Michael Badalucco, Frances McDormand, Scarlett Johansson, James Gandolfini, Jon Polito, Richard Jenkins, Katherine Borowitz. [R]

Atmospheric, stylish Coen brothers effort is such a clever recreation that the superbly-crafted film noir facsimile doesn’t feel like gimmickry, ends up becoming legitimately engrossing. Thornton’s poker-faced composure is just right for the laconic barber, Ed Crane, a role that’s defined by the classic genre type: a sinner presumed guilty of the wrong crime. His quiet, unexciting life in Small Town, America just after the war is upended by the promise of a lucrative investment—dry cleaning!—which snowballs into blackmail, embezzlement, murder, the usual stuff. It’s all, of course, very twisty and insincere and ironic, which will not be for all tastes, and the more idiosyncratic touches the filmmakers are known for never quite fit with the material as presented (there must be some connection between the main narrative and that UFO business besides commentary on fate being out of our control, but damned if I know). Regardless of one’s impression of its cold heart, however, there’s no doubt that it’s a bleakly beautiful picture worth studying purely for aesthetic pleasures, with Roger Deakins’ sharp photography setting the mood throughout—filmed in color, then printed in black & white. Jennifer Jason Leigh “cameos” (voice dub only).

81/100