The Director's Series, Coen Brothers No. 5


Throughout 2025 I'm turning my focus to Directors. They help craft the vision on screen that makes a movie work. This year I'm looking at five favorite films from 18 directors I admire and 10 films directed by different women that I have enjoyed. Join me Fridays and Saturdays throughout 2025 as we take this journey.

The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, James Gandolfini, and Tony Shaloub
Director: The Coen Brothers
About: I love the Coen Brothers. I love the worlds that they build and the stories they tell. I am particularly a fan of a certain era from the 1990s through the early 2000s, and that really covers the five picks I made for this exploration. That starts with The Man Who Wasn't There, which is a beautifully shot drama in black-and-white. It is a story of crime gone wrong, a common theme here, but it's beautiful the way the film unfolds. Billy Bob Thornton's work here is incredible as well. I love the way it's shot and the way it looks. This isn't one of the most well known Coen Brothers films, but it's always been among my favorites and feels like a perfect way to begin the exploration of their work on this countdown.

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