With obvious call-backs and love for the era of noir thrillers, the Coen Brothers bring The Man Who Wasn’t There to surprisingly new heights. Set in the glorious Summer of ‘49, a dissatisfied barber, Ed Crane (Billy Bob Thornton) sets out to deal with his wife’s infidelity, his uncomfortably constricted lifestyle and overall discontented approach to his work, family, and friends. Their obvious love for this period brings out the best in a film that looks to convey the conventions of not just the genre, but the time they bring to life. Mannerisms, context of the times, and, of course, a hefty number of nods, glances and straight-up inspiration from the finest films from the forties.
It all comes together relatively nicely. Thornton is a strong leading man, it’s a shame he hasn’t got many leading roles that are this prominent. Outside of Bad Santa and one season of Fargo, there’s little to sink your teeth into in regard to mainstream appearances. He grasps the nettle here, providing a superb performance that manages to understand the complexities of Crane’s mindset, capturing that feeling of defeatism. For much of the running time, his lack of optimism and reserved manner builds Thornton up well. An inability to convey any form of informal conversation, much of his dialogue is conveyed through narration which is a thoroughly nice fit for the pacing of the film.
No matter the quality of the film, the Coen’s can always regard their pacing as their strongest card. They have an uncanny ability to traverse any story with ease. Here, they bring out a black and white aesthetic and pair it nicely with the time they bring to life. They manage to skip over the more conventional aspects of the film, a slight nod towards what makes this sort of film work, but never overtly plagued with issues. They bring their unique style, where every character is in some way losing, missing out on opportunity one way or another. It works best of all in The Man Who Wasn’t There, a rare occasion where their characters are arguably satisfied, but not content.
This lack of contention makes for an interesting dialogue, and The Man Who Wasn’t There presents some tremendous moments throughout. Tight performances blend well with the respective styles of the Coen Brothers in what I would argue is one of their finer films to date. Certainly, a far stretch better than most of the films they followed this one up with. A nice noir piece with the wry charms of Billy Bob Thornton leading the way, a stacked cast and entertaining characters make this a wholly engaging film.
