Ranking: The Coen Brother Films

 

Perhaps the most consistently innovative directors of modern-day filmmaking, The Coen Brothers have achieved the cinematic holy grail of delving into basically every genre, sub-genre of filmmaking and plumbing each of their depths to find something in alignment with their distinct vision. With Hail, Caesar! coming out this week and hopefully I'll be catching it soon, I bring to you my ranking of all the films of theirs I've seen...

(haven't seen The Man Who Wasn't There)

15. Intolerable Cruelty

Easily the weakest of their films I've seen, and it's testament to their strength as directors that this venture into screwball rom-com territory isn't a complete failure despite me finding the film deeply flawed. The main problem I find with it is that the central pairing of George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones doesn't elicit much in the way of romantic, flirty spark, making the film inherently problematic. Beyond that I don't think the script is anything much to speak of, especially by the brothers' standards, but the film is kind of saved by the excellence of some of the supporting players, most notably Geoffrey Rush.

14. The Hudsucker Proxy

The stylized screwball approach again, doesn't quite work here for this tale about an office drone (Tim Robbins) who comes up with the ingenious idea of the hula hoop. Again, the film is greatly let down by this, as the story might actually have worked with a more low-key, wry approach, but nevertheless it's not a bad film at all, in fact, it's mostly alright and occasionally quite entertaining. Most of the entertainment value comes from Bill Cobbs as Moses, the sage elevator man and his entertainingly pseudo-wise asides, and Jennifer Jason Leigh who despite the film being flawed in its screwball approach is quite entertaining in doing her own sort of His Girl Friday routine. Robbins is a likable lead and Paul Newman makes for a decent villain, though I can't help but feel a bit annoyed this was the only collaboration with these two alongside the brothers since it's obvious they could've done a lot more.

13. Burn After Reading

A film with very high heights, as anything involving Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Richard Jenkins and J.K. Simmons is an absolute hoot here, as this quartet do so much to infuse laugh after uproarious laugh to the proceedings. Pitt, in particular, is exceptional in playing perhaps the most lovably lunk-headed onscreen persona. Everyone else is fine just fine, but on an entirely different wavelength so naturally the film feels a bit disjointed, the script is also fairly muddled in terms of plotting, intentionally so I believe but it holds me back from putting it as a must-see. It's definitely a fun watch though.

12. The Ladykillers

 

A fairly guilty pleasure for me. I love the original The Ladykillers and while this re-make doesn't hold a torch to the original, I do think it's an enjoyable enough comedy that I thoroughly enjoy watching. Tom Hanks is quite funny (surprisingly) in the lead role, and the supporting cast, though a mixed bag, generally provide much in the way of laughs (particularly with each of their incredibly idiotic murder attempts). It's nothing too substantial and so far as Coen Brothers' re-makes I've seen much better, but I don't mind this film one bit as a sweet little comedy.

11. A Serious Man

Definitely a film that takes a while to grow on you, but worth a watch. The driest, possibly most daring of all their ventures, the whole thing from Michael Stuhlbarg's lead performance to the colour scheme, down to the script and everyone's line deliveries is in such a deadpan, completely disconnected style that it takes a bit of getting used to. I wouldn't consider it one of the brothers' best as it doesn't quite have that rewatchable factor that most of their filmography has, but it faces down some very interesting issues about Jewish identity and is intelligently written, so if you're feeling contemplative, check it out.

10. O Brother, Where Art Thou!

A fun, fun, fun film to watch. Anchored by an entertaining trio of lead performances, what is essentially a 1930's Great Depression-set, Southern retelling of The Odyssey is brought vividly to life by the Coen Brothers. Chock full with funny Southern stereotypes, a great John Goodman cameo and some banging tunes, it's slight but fun in it's slightness. I do think I need a re-watch of it though, and with that it could very easily zoom up this list.

9. Miller's Crossing

The most shamelessly stylized of all their films, this one in vein of a 1930's crime thriller I believe, this is one film that I used to absolutely not take to whatsoever but, with my growing appreciation of the likes of James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson and their films in the 1930's to 1940's, I actually quite love it now. Technically it's not a flawless film as structurally it gets a lot of the climactic stuff over and done with in the first half, leaving the second half to meander about a bit, but still it has some of the best directed Coen Brothers' sequences (the Danny Boy scene, any scene with Jon Polito getting MAD), uniformly solid to good performances (I do like Turturro's divisive performance, I think Albert Finney, Marcia Gay Harden and Gabriel Byrne are great and Polito, exceptional), and every frame is great to look at.

8. The Big Lebowski

 

 

My second favourite of their straight comedies, this cult classic is possibly the most quotable of all their films. Jeff Bridges is fan-freaking-tastic as the titular (though he'd rather you not describe him as such) Lebowski who rather ineptly gets involved in some sort of...double-crossing kidnapping-something-something scheme, whatever. Plot, in this film, is mostly irrelevant. What makes it the fantastic watch it is, is just how downright funny everything in it is. John Goodman's fantastic supporting turn as the loudmouth Walter who'll have you know he served in Vietnam and doesn't take too kindly to bowling violations, and who shares some of the best chemistry in any one of the brothers' films with Bridges. The supporting cast too is uniformly solid (with Julianne Moore, Sam Elliot, Steve Buscemi as the most unfortunate third-wheeler friend ever, and John Turturro being particularly worthy of mention), the surreal aesthetic that permeates every scene works incredibly well in making the whole film quite a dreamily enjoyable experience, and the script of course, though lacking in plot, never feels like it is because you're too busy laughing to wonder whether it all makes sense.

7. No Country for Old Men

I have to admit I don't think is the masterpiece that everyone makes it out to be, BUT, that doesn't mean I don't think very highly of it. No, in fact I think it was wholly deserving of its Best Picture win in 2007, and I think that as the years go by this may go up the list as it holds up very well as a film on a very technical level. In that it tells its peculiarly dark story very well, with much less dialogue than per usual, making this an interesting showcase of how restrained the Coens can be as directors when they want to be. Past their uniquely tight-knit style here it's a beautifully shot film, with several great performances (I think Javier Bardem did deserve the win even though Casey Affleck was by far the best of the nominees, but then again category fraud), and several incredibly tense setpieces. There's a streak of dark humour to it, too, that I think I'll grow to appreciate more as the years go by.

6. Raising Arizona

Just a rollicking good time to be had by all. It's weird how Nicolas Cage and the Coens never collaborated after this film as Cage's natural quirks as an actor are so perfectly attuned to their style in Raising Arizona, their finest pure comedy. The concept itself--Cage and Holly Hunter (giving one of her best performances, obviously The Piano is her best but this is her best comedic turn) as a odd couple of ex-convict and police officer who decide to abduct a baby on account of the latter's infertility--is already ripe for laughs, and the Coens certainly go the distance with this by having downright hilarious scenes of Cage stealing diapers and dealing with multiple wailing babies, and Hunter just giving each and every line delivery that lovely sweet tinge. Add to that John Goodman and William Forsythe as two downright trashy yet oddly lovable convicts on the run, a wonderful soundtrack by Carter Burwell, and a surprisingly heartfelt third act, and you have yourself one of the most enjoyable of all the Coens' films.

5. Blood Simple

 

(NSFW VERY HORRIFYING SCENE)

Blasphemy perhaps to place this ahead of No Country for Old Men but let me explain. I do have a soft spot for these sort of directorial debuts made on low budgets with a grand vision, I mean after all Reservoir Dogs is my favourite Tarantino film (although I'm starting to come round to The Hateful Eight as my top choice). Anyway, Blood Simple is a great example of how sometimes, less is more. I'll get past the main flaw of the film first which is John Getz who, as The Fly also showed, isn't quite the best chap to go to when trying to make an unsympathetic character sympathetic, but at least he doesn't ham it up and is fairly restrained in his blandness. Past him, everyone in the cast is great. Frances McDormand, of course, in her first leading role, is fantastic in giving a realistic reactive performance to all the horrorshow going around her. M. Emmet Walsh is delightfully sleazy and genuinely terrifying as the slithery private investigator Loren Visser on the tail of McDormand and Getz's characters, double-crossing the vindictive, haunted and ultimately very sympathetic Dan Hedaya as the cuckold husband of McDormand. Performances aside, this film's final act is simply put a masterpiece in heightening tension, I would say there are moments in it where the Brothers rival even Alfred Hitchcok at his peak in just making the silver screen tough to watch, and so compelling in this excruciating-ness...if that makes any sense. A brilliant, underseen thriller with a entertaining first act, a fascinatingly contemplative second act, and as mentioned a masterful third act.

4. True Grit

'Pretty bold talk for a one-eyed fat man' and the elicited response is one of those sort of cinematic moments I can't help but love no matter what way it's done, so I guess that might explain why I have a soft spot for the 1969 True Grit and one of the reasons why I absolutely love the 2010 True Grit. The film is divisive and I'm well aware of that, but I personally think it's near-flawless. Jeff Bridges gives another great Coen Brothers leading performance as Rooster Cogburn, a delightfully odd and indulgent delight upon his horse, having so much fun in playing up each aspect of Cogburn's eccentricities, and everyone else matches him perfectly in their delivery of that stylized Wild West dialogue, from Matt Damon to Barry Pepper to Josh Brolin to all the small supporting players and above all, Hailee Steinfield's great lead turn as Mattie, the beating heart and soul of the film. The production design and score are as immaculate as always, there's great detours from the main plot like a bearskin donning doctor who steals the film for the couple minutes he's onscreen, and a great segment involving Jeff Bridges interrogating Domhnall Gleeson that's among the highlights of the film (and also introduced me to Domhnall Gleeson as an actor), and builds up to the aforementioned great finale equal parts rousing and poignant. A great Western of a most unconventional sort.

3. Fargo

 

Featuring one of the best leading quartet performances of any film, ever, I hate to put Fargo 3rd on this list as I don't feel it quite does it justice, at all. Obviously the first thing to mention about it is how great everything looks in the film, filmed in snowy Minnesota, it all just fits in so well with each plot point. The script itself works wonders around a very simple, basic kidnapping plot to make it compelling thriller stuff at its finest, and never forgets to lace it all with an undercurrent of black humour to make it dually satisfying. I've mentioned how great the lead quartet is, well William H. Macy is the most uncomfortably pathetic sad sack, Jerry, to watch as he haplessly watches his plans spiral out of his control, Frances McDormand is great as the effortlessly perky and incisively intelligent Marge Gunderson, Peter Stormare is the pinnacle of minimalist threat and bone-chilling menace, and at the same time cruelly funny presence, as Gaear Grimsrud, and Steve Buscemi...well I'll wait till another time to discuss him, but his is a performance I originally took for granted but upon re-watches, feel is worthy of examining in even more detail. As always the supporting cast is great, with one scene in particular seemingly inconsequential to the plot one of the masterstrokes that make it so distinct as a masterpiece. Anyway I've digressed too far, a great film, watch it.

2. Barton Fink

I'm thinking of doing something more thorough and in-depth with these two top films so I'll elave off extended thoughts for now. Barton Fink is a marvellous example of the Coen Brothers giving their script their all, the fact they had to use the Miller's Crossing script as a break from writing this one just goes to show how much brainpower and effort went into the making of this even in just the initial stages. Anyway, as films about writing go this is among the best. As someone who's routinely struggling with writer's block and self-awareness about one's fallibility as a storyteller, Barton Fink's (John Turturro) neuroses rang so resonantly me in his desire and drive to create something 'important' and 'true to life' through his boxing picture, and the film conveys this wonderfully through not just dialogue but through some of the most haunting imagery ever captured on film to show the deteriorating mindset of a writer. There's tender little scenes like the exchanges between Fink and Judy Davis' Audrey Taylor, and darkly funny ones like John Goodman's rambunctious Charlie Meadows who's gradually peeled away into something much darker. It's a small film but an incredibly well done one at that, which simply grows upon re-watches, and I'd place it first if not for the best Coen Brother's film, IMO, being one of my all-time personal favourites (though Barton Fink is up there too)...

1. Inside Llewlyn Davis

Just about the perfect film. If I had to pick out a flaw? Um...let me get back to you on that. It's equally hard to pinpoint what exactly makes this film tick the way it does, the obvious thing to mention would be the soundtrack, but that would simplify the reasons for its brilliance too much as it's so much more than just a 'folk music film'. Oscar Issac's magnificent lead performance too, cannot be praised enough, but that would just nullify how uniformly great the supporting cast is, particularly Carey Mulligan and F. Murray Abraham. The cinematography and sound? Impeccable. The production design that recreates the vibes of Greenwich Village so well? Yeah, that's perfect too. The script, which despite having no clear plot thread that stands out, makes what is essentially a week in the life of Llwelyn Davis something you can't take your eyes off, your ears away from? Oh I can't praise this film enough. The Coen Brothers with their grand filmography, have one film that stands out as being a supreme masterpiece, and they have several other masterpieces too, it's just that Inside Llewlyn Davis stands out to me as being their very, very best.