Iain Gray Freelance Writer
The Man Who Wasn’t There - Review
Ethan, the younger of the desperately talented Coen brothers, turns 50 today. This film, the brothers’ ninth together and a wily tribute to the hard-boiled fiction of James M Cain, is a reminder why this should be celebrated.
California, 1949: an emotionally stunted barber blackmails his wife’s lover in an attempt to liven up his life. However, his seemingly simple plan starts to unravel, leaving him adrift in a sea of suspicion, violence, murder, Beethoven, dry cleaning, Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle and UFOs.
Shot in colour but transferred into striking black and white, and grounded with a towering central performance from Billy Bob Thornton, this is Blood Simple with a mischievous glint in its eye.
Article archive
2012
July
- 27.07.12 Dr Seuss’ The Lorax - Review
June
- 12.06.12 Rock of Ages - Review
May
- 11.05.12 Charlie Casanova - Review
- 04.05.12 Being Elmo - Review
2009
April
- 19.04.09 LA Confidential - Review
- 05.04.09 Ran - Review
March
- 29.03.09 Sherman’s March - Review
- 22.03.09 A Man Escaped - Review
- 15.03.09 Raging Bull - Review
- 08.03.09 8 Women - Review
- 08.03.09 The Terror by Dan Simmons - Review
- 01.03.09 King Kong - Review
February
- 22.02.09 Taxi To The Dark Side - Review
- 15.02.09 Audition - Review
- 08.02.09 When Harry Met Sally - Review
- 01.02.09 Vanishing Point - Review
January
- 25.01.09 Black Narcissus - Review
- 18.01.09 Dracula - Review
- 11.01.09 Brazil - Review
- 04.01.09 Lantana - Review
2008
December
- 28.12.08 The Edge - Review
- 14.12.08 The French Connection - Review
- 07.12.08 Annie Hall - Review
November
- 30.11.08 Rescue Dawn - Review
- 23.11.08 Million Dollar Baby - Review
- 16.11.08 Baraka - Review
- 09.11.08 The Searchers - Review
- 08.11.08 Far Cry 2 - Review
- 02.11.08 Great Expectations - Review
October
- 26.10.08 Jacob’s Ladder - Review
- 19.10.08 The Last Waltz - Review
- 12.10.08 Mulholland Drive - Review
- 05.10.08 Bringing Up Baby - Review
September
- 28.09.08 The Killing - Review
- 21.09.08 The Man Who Wasn’t There - Review
- 14.09.08 Big Night - Review
- 07.09.08 Total Recall - Review
August
- 31.08.08 The Exterminating Angel - Review
- 24.08.08 Dark City - Review
- 17.08.08 Chinatown - Review
- 10.08.08 Escape From New York - Review
- 03.08.08 Best in Show - Review
July
- 27.07.08 The Cider House Rules - Review
- 20.07.08 The Prestige - Review
- 13.07.08 La Reine Margot - Review
- 06.07.08 The Remains of the Day - Review
June
- 29.06.08 The Station Agent - Review
- 22.06.08 Duck Soup - Review
- 15.06.08 Dirty Harry - Review
- 08.06.08 Dancer in the Dark - Review
- 01.06.08 A Matter of Life and Death - Review
May
- 18.05.08 Days of Heaven - Review
- 11.05.08 Assembly - Review
- 04.05.08 Vertigo - Review
April
- 27.04.08 My Neighbour Totoro - Review
- 20.04.08 A Simple Plan - Review
- 13.04.08 True Lies - Review
- 06.04.08 Excalibur - Review
March
- 30.03.08 Rendition - Review
- 23.03.08 After Life - Review
- 16.03.08 Les Diaboliques - Review
- 09.03.08 2001: A Space Odyssey - Review
- 02.03.08 Elizabeth: The Golden Age - Review
February
- 24.02.08 Blood Simple - Review
- 17.02.08 Ratatouille - Review
- 12.02.08 Terrible film - great tagline
- 10.02.08 Atonement - Review
- 03.02.08 3:10 to Yuma - Review
January
- 20.01.08 Arsenic and Old Lace - Review
- 13.01.08 Stranger Than Fiction - Review
- 06.01.08 Half Ton Mom - Review
2007
December
- 30.12.07 1408 - Review
- 16.12.07 The Bourne Ultimatum - Review
- 02.12.07 Prepare the perfect Christmas #1
- 02.12.07 Prepare the perfect Christmas #2
- 02.12.07 Prepare the perfect Christmas #3
- 02.12.07 Shrek the Third- Review
November
- 25.11.07 Property Ladder - Review
- 18.11.07 Deja-vu or Re-record?
- 17.11.07 Warhawk - Review
- 04.11.07 Die Hard 4.0 - Review
October
- 31.10.07 Some day your prints will come