12 essential coen brothers films

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12 Essential Coen Brothers Films You Need To Watch

16 July 2014Features,Film Listsby Rebecca Willoughby

If youre any kind of modern cinephile, youve probably watched at least one film by the

Coen Brothers: theyve become two of the most respected and admired auteurs in

contemporary film. A Coen film is typically written, directed, and even edited by the duo.

Joel and Ethan consistently work with the same actors, music supervisors and

cinematographers, talents which allow their work to become a true showcase of cinematic

vision and style.

This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of their first feature film, so what better way to

celebrate than with a retrospective viewing list? If your Coen knowledge is limited random

conversational quotations of theres a beverage here! or the Dude abidesphrases that

have worked their way into the parlance of our timesthen youre missing out on a complex

body of work and a consistent, quirky ethos that truly reflects our complex and quirkysociety. And this list is for you.

The two draw on their complimentary educations (Joel in film and Ethan in philosophy) to

construct film worlds and characters that are deeply flawed, yet uncompromisingly eloquent

in their presentation. What makes their films so unique is somewhat more difficult to put a

finger on. Their scenarios tend to err on the side of realism, though realism sometimes

stretched just to the point of most extremity and sometimes the most unbelievable bad luck.

We might say the same for their characters: thought variously dim, conniving, menacing,

sweet, or oblivious, what unites them might be their universally believable nature. In settingsas diverse as the old West, the Deep South during the Great Depression, and the interior acid
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trip of a burned-out hippie, the Coens consistently show us both the depth and the

shortcomings of the human animal.

Though its useful not to engage in total hero-worship when studying the films of specific

directors (or sibling tag-teams, in this case), its hard not to consider the Coens work as some

of the best that contemporary film has to offer. The following is not a comprehensive list of

their films, but some of the most representative films of the Coen Universe. Enter at the risk

of being thoroughly entertained.

1. Blood Simple (1984)

The Coens first feature rests on merging the style of neo-noir with a set of characters that

have become truly blood simplea bit intellectually dulled by the frequency of violence,

suspicion, and revenge in their lives. Frances McDormand takes the lead role as Abby, wife

of a Texas bar owner who suspects she is having an affair. Over the course of the film,

frequent miscommunications, marvelously inept decision-making and incorrect assumptions

lead to much murder and mayhem, and an ironic twist ending.

Although certainly significant because it came first, Blood Simple also introduced the Coens

thematic concept of being, as Rotten Tomatoes puts it: brutally violent and shockingly

funny all in the same film. Though their twisted sense of humor and actors often deadpan

deliveries of almost epically foolish characters may not appeal to every viewer, this

complicated tone is one of the trademark stylistic notes that will come to characterize many

of their films. The film took the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 1985.
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2. Raising Arizona (1987)

Meant to be a farcical departure from the dark seriousness of Blood Simple, Raising Arizona

saw the Coens first foray into out-and-out ridiculousness and a particularly wild story. Their

talent for merging heavy material (such as murder and kidnapping) with comically

exaggerated situations (such as inept criminals fighting over a kidnapped child) is evident

here.

A somewhat different cast also contributes to this films divergence from the tone of BloodSsimple, featuring Nicholas Cage as the criminal hero Hi McDunnough, Holly Hunter as

policewoman Ed, and John Goodman and William Forsythe as McDunnoughs escapee

prison buddies Gale and Evelle Snoats. Because Ed is infertile and Hi a criminal, their

dreams of parenthood seem to be dashedthat is, until they learn of the Arizona Quints: five

babies born to a wealthy furniture salesman. They resolve to kidnap one of the babies, and

their commitment to raising him puts them at odds with a number of the other equally

devious characters.

Because Arizona was so wildly different from Blood Simple, yet still retained a good portion

of the sarcastic humor that could be said to infuse both works, the critical reception of the

Arizona was mixed. But its exceptional performances and its comedic tone early in the Coen

canon make it essential viewing.

3. Barton Fink (1991)
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Now that the Coens had two films under their belts, each which displayed their signature

twisted sensibility and yet seemed to come from two vastly different genre traditions, viewers

of a retrospective might be able to see their distinctive style begin to emerge. In 1990, they

produced Millers Crossing, a period piece set in the Prohibition era and rife with 1920s

hoods intent on double-crossing one another. Barton Fink stayed in the past, set in New York

in 1941, and while the Coens assured viewers that Finks trials in Hollywood werent meant

to dramatize their own experiences making films, its been reported that Finks writers block

is representative of the directors difficulty with Millers Crossing in the years before.

The film brought back John Turturro as the title character, a playwright who is hired to write

screenplays in Hollywood. The film also saw the return of John Goodman as Charlie, the

insurance salesman who lives next door in the decrepit hotel where Fink toils a la Stanley

Kubricks The Shining. Through Finks problems with Charlie, his issues with writing, and

some unsolved mysteries, the film addresses tensions between high and low art, between art

and business, and between the common man and the intellectual.

The film was a critical smash, winning the Palme dOr, Best Actor and Best Director Awards

at Cannes that year, and was nominated for three Academy Awards. By contrast, it was afinancial disaster, ending up a third of the budget in the hole. But its become one ofthe

Coens most admired films, clearly ramping up the thematic clout that characterizes many

subsequent Coen movies.

4. Fargo (1996)
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A breakout popular and critical hit that gained seemingly instant cult status, Fargo also

starred Joels wife Frances McDormand, in perhaps her most iconic role in the Coen lexicon.

As pregnant police officer Marge Gunderson, she navigates a frigid Minnesota/North Dakota

landscape dotted with troubled souls such as William H. Macys Jerry Lundegaard, a used car

salesman attempting to coordinate his wifes abduction in order extort a million dollars from

his father-in-law; an impulsive and oddly silent killer played by Peter Stormare; and his ever-

aggressive boss Carl, played by Steve Buscemi. When the characters storylines intertwine,

what viewers get is a darkly-inflected film exploring greed, suspicion, and some infamous

methods of disposing of bodies.

The film is important in the Coen filmography mostly because of its success; anyone at a

party talking about the Coen Brothers will inevitably mention Fargo. Nominated for seven

Academy Awards, the film won both Best Original Screenplay and a Best Actress for

McDormand. This notoriety has translated into a television reboot based on the film, debuting

in 2014 and starring Billy Bob Thornton (see entry on The Man Who Wasnt There), with theCoens serving as executive producers.

5. The Big Lebowski (1998)
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Following the success of Fargo, The Big Lebowski continues the Coens presentation of

strongly inflected characters; films populated with people who are so indelibly drawn that

they become larger than life. In the capable hands of Jeff Bridges, Lebowski almost becomes

a verb. He portrays Jeffrey Lebowski, aka The Dude, a white-Russian swilling faded hippie

with an identity crisis: he shares a (pretty unusual) name with a wheelchair-bound millionaire

with some complicated criminal connections, played by David Huddleston (his assistant,

Brandt, is an unforgettable small part played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman).

There are acid trips, bowling, and many interesting turns of events as The Dude attempts to

navigate the other Lebowskis world and get his favorite rug replaced. Another amazing

cast includes John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, and Julianne Mooreeven an appearance by

the great Sam Elliot as The Strangercompliment The Dudes signature worldview. His

lines and his outlook have become iconic for cult film enthusiasts everywhere.

The Big Lebowski might not be the most respected or highly decorated of the Coens work,

but it is an important stylistic diversion; its dream sequences, odd dialogue, and even its

soundtrack edge out the realism of their previous work and give the film its distinctive flavor.

Reception in subsequent years has been positive as the film gains respect for its

unconventional style.

6. O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000)
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O Brother, on its release, was one of those films people couldnt stop talking about. Its

contagious music brought folk and bluegrass music back into some kind of mainstream, and

its unique color palette made it a visual standout; like a feature-length, folksy history lesson,

O Brother immersed viewers in the Deep South of Mississippi in during the Great

Depression, just with signature Coen touches.

This is the first of what Ill term the Coens somewhat musical: a film thats certainly got

music at its core, and which features musical performances, but in which the characters dont

spontaneously burst into song to express themselves in a Fred Astaire-esque choreographed

number. These directors are known for their subversion of straight genre conventions, so this

adaptation of a beloved movie type should come as no surprise.

George Clooney helms the cast of this period drama as Ulysses Everett McGill, who leads a

group of escaped convicts on a quest to find a treasure he claims he stole and buried. In the

course of their adventures, they record a song, Man of Constant Sorrow posing as a group

called the Soggy Bottom Boys. Loosely based on the Odyssey, the film contains a number of

set-pieces parallel to the original poem, though the Coens have famously joked that theyve

never read the thing.

The films importance doesnt just stem from its successit was nominated for two Oscars,

and Clooney won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Everett. Technically, O Brother was

also the first film to be entirely digitally color-corrected, turning the lush vegetation of its

Mississippi setting into a sepia-toned, golden-hued epic. T-Bone Burnett contributed his

talents as music supervisor on this film and Inside Llewyn Davis, both films that had aserious musical component.
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7. The Man Who Wasnt There (2001)

Neo-noir characterized the style of the Coen Brothers first film, Blood Simple, but The Man

Who Wasnt Theretakes it all the way (its even presented in black and white, though it was

shot in color and later transferred). Set in 1949 and ostensibly about a scam involving dry

cleaning, its also about money laundering (see what I did there?), adultery, and murder.

Sound familiar? It is, but it also has (as per usual, it seems) great performances, especially

from Thornton, and excellent, stylish cinematographyCoen regular Roger Deakins knows

his craft well, and well enough to allow the films content and themes translate into the

visuals.

8. No Country for Old Men (2007)
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No Country for Old Men adapts Cormac McCarthys landmark novel for the screen as only

the Coen Brothers can: its a simultaneous meditation on good and evil, right and wrong, and

a parable about unstoppable forces of change in society. That makes it all sound rather heady,

but the film is also packed with stellar, understated performances from Josh Brolin, Tommy

Lee Jones, and Kelly Macdonald. Perhaps taking the cake is Javier Bardem: he became the

first Spanish actor to win an Academy Award when he won Best Supporting Actor for his

portrayal as the seemingly superhuman supervillain Anton Chigurh.

The film won three other Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted

Screenplay. Its a nouveau Western that uses place in a similar way as Fargothe West

Texas accent of Joness Sheriff Ed Tom Bell may recall the specificity of Marge Gunderson

and Jerry Lundegaards Minnesotan-Swedish inflections. Its intensity and style has made it a

modern classic, so much so that even if you DONT enjoy Coen films, you should still see

this movie.

9. Burn After Reading (2008)
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A satirical indictment of governmental and personal politics, Burn After Reading utilizes its

stellar cast (including the familiar Frances McDormand, and Academy Award winners Tilda

Swinton, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and John Malkovich) in a scathing and silly depiction of

fools of various sorts run amok. The film connects the seemingly disconnected lives of Linda

Litzke (McDormand), a disillusioned gym employee, her friend Chad (hilariously portrayed

by Pitt), former CIA Agent Osborne Cox (Malkovich), and his wife (Swinton) and her lover

(Clooney). Overseeing all the chaos are a number of nearly interchangeable government

pencil-pushers who just want to make sure no one mucks things up too awfully much.

Like 1990s Millers Crossing, the story focuses on characters caught in webs of crime while

aiming of personal gain, characters trying to be smart, but digging in deeper and deeper.

This film is more clearly meant to be a farcethese characters and their situations are

stretched and finessed so as to be almost believable, but also hysterically shortsighted and

rash. BURN didnt take home any Oscar gold, but its a seriously funny film that provides a

good contrast to the dark intensity of No Country for Old Men.

10. A Serious Man (2009)
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The Coens return to Minnesota, but not to Marge Gundersons frozen wastelandA Serious

Man takes place in a Jewish community in 1960s suburbia, but all the standard Coen

mishapsaccidental death, severe weather, the money squeezestill apply. Physics

professor Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) is like a Coen version of Job: he must deal with

a constant stream of problems, including his wifes infidelity, his childrens idiosyncrasies,

corrupt students, and backward spiritual advice. His unfortunate circumstances move him to

turn to his religion, but of course the film sees all this through the dispassionate Coen eye,

and with their trademark impulse to create lives run wild with misadventure.

The film was given a limited release, and garnered Best Picture and Best Screenplay Oscar

nods, but resulted in a Best Director award at Cannes. While not one of their best known

films, its oddly personal tone is well balanced with the nearly comic litany of issues on

Larrys plate.

11. True Grit (2010)
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Joel and Ethan Try Their Hand Remaking an Already Classic Movie. Its a tall order to

reboot John Waynes original turn as the turbulent Rooster Cogburn, but Jeff Bridges

manages to infuse him with a bit of quirk in addition to his obstinate attitude and boisterous

storytelling. Though if you watch this film after youve seen The Big Lebowski, you may see

The Dude (not The Duke) peeking out from under Bridgess beat-up hat.

Taken on its own rather than in comparison to the 1969 version starring Wayne, the Coen

film adapts the 1968 novel perhaps more faithfully. This film again follows Mattie Ross (an

outstanding performance by the young Hailee Steinfeld) as she tries to bring her fathers

killer to justice with the help of the one-eyed U.S. Marshal. Her quest takes her through

dangerous Indian territory with only the wayward Cogburn as her guide. They are an unlikely

pair, and form a unique bond, which is something viewers expect. But the emotional range

and depth of these performances, as well as the excellent camera work that captures it is

something viewers might not expect from a remake.

Additionally, it would be impossible to consider this filma Western of the truest type

without acknowledging its stylistic links with the neo-Western elements of No Country for

Old Men; the two films make great companion pieces, but this film is probably as close to a

straight genre film as youll come in the Coen canon.Joel and Ethans version of True Grit

was nominated for a whopping ten Academy Awards, but missed out on all of them.

12. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
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The latest Coen foray into what Ive called the somewhat musical, Inside Llewyn Davisis

clearly connected to O Brother, Where Art Thou? through its theme of music bridging

personal gulfs and fulfilling artistic impulses. T-Bone Burnett also served as executive music

producer on this film, which was specifically set in New York Citys Greenwich Village in

the 1960s, just months (or weeks?) before Bob Dylans explosion onto the folk music scene.

(In fact, in a scene towards the end of the film, an anonymous musician with a distinctly

Dylan-esque voice infiltrates the Gaslight music club where Llewyn has just performed).

The film follows Llewyn Davis, a struggling folk singer, as he tries to make it with his firstsolo album after the suicide of his singing partner. Davis couch-surfs his way through all of

his New York friends before hitching a ride to Chicago with beat poet Johnny Five (mumbled

to great effect by Garrett Hedlund) and a pompous jazz musician with a heroin problem,

played by Coen veteran John Goodman. Also, theres a cat with a significant name that

provides additional film-nerd links the film to O BROTHER.

These connections become more apparent when youre viewing the films in your own little

living-room festival, but they exist primarily when the pieces of art in a body of work start to

intertwine, and thats when you know a particular style and sensibility is at work. With the

Coens, that style and sensibility is sometimes a strange shifty one that works to unsettle and

surprisebut thats the appeal.

The film won the Grand Prix prize at Cannes in 2013, as well as two Oscar noms; the work of

Joel and Ethan Coen continues to grow, change, and develop with more acknowledgements

from Hollywood, it seems, with each new film.

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12 essential coen brothers films

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