Mjeteconer Just perfect...

GurlyIamBeach Instant Favorite.

Limerculer A waste of 90 minutes of my life

ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

jaapeelman Movie in black and white with a story with different twists which could be out of a Hitchcock-movie. But My God, what is this a slow movie and I had to do my best not to fall asleep. The acting is nice but the voice-over contributes to the slowness and sleep-inducing atmosphere. Also there are some unclear flash-backs... It is all about a barber who wants to participate in a dry-cleaning deal and although his first hunch is that it is a swindle he gets the necessary 10000usd by blackmailing his wife's boss. But it stays unclear why he does not trust his instinct.... What also is a mystery to me is that his fingerprints are on the knife which he used to kill his wife's boss accidentally but the cops do nothing with that and arrest his wife because she helped her boss to falsify the figures in the books. But the biggest problem with this movie is that it lacks pace and should have been in color as I really do not see that this black & white does anything good for the movie. If you can watch this movie for free and have nothing else to do that watch it, otherwise do not waste time and/or money on it.

kijii This is modern film noir (shot in black and white) about a laconic, chain-smoking, depressed-looking barber, Ed Crane (Billy Bob Thornton). Ed works for his brother-in-law, Frank (Michael Badalucco), who had inherited the barber shop when his father died leaving the shop to him-- free-and-clear. Ed's wife (Frank's sister), Doris (Frances McDormand), works as a bookkeeper for a local clothing store owner, Big Dave Brewster (James Gandolfini). Ed can easily sense that Big Dave and Doris are having an affair.One day while Ed is cutting a customer's hair, he learns that the customer, Creighton Tolliver (Jon Polito), is trying to start a dry cleaning business in town but needs $10,000 of capital to open it. Ed raises the capital by anonymously blackmailing Big Dave, threatening to expose the affair between Dave and Doris if he doesn't deliver the money to a set place at a set time. When Ed uses the blackmail money to become a silent partner in Creighton's dry cleaning business, a chain of events leads to the bizarre outcome of this story.

Dhiman Sarbajna It's always a pleasure to watch a beautifully crafted neo noir thriller. And what adds greater to the pleasure is the fact that in spite having a radical approach, the movie stays true to its plot. The same happens with Director Joel Coen's latest. The story mainly deals with a succinct barber who is disappointed with his life and gets entangled in a web of murders and misfortunes which seem to be the part of something much bigger. Billy Bob Thornton is refreshingly addictive as Ed Crane, the laconic antihero supported with a petite but powerful performance from James Gandolfini.Special mention goes to Roger Deakins who does a tremendous job with the camera. He gives a certain charismatic aura to the monochrome effect with brilliant use of light. That being said, the movie could have been a little stronger towards the end.What started out as a nail biting thriller starts veering towards the emotional.The ending is a one to cherish. Taking away the concept of a happy ending, the film delivers the message it was intended to- "Karma always strikes back. Sometimes in a really creepy way!"Watch it!

Andy Jackson The Coen Brothers don't make bad original films, some of them are not as strong as others, but they all have well crafted interesting scripts, usually involving someone ordinary getting themselves involved in something criminal, usually with devastating results and some macabre humour just to keep things relatable.The Man Who Wasn't There is a great film, beautifully shot with every frame being meticulously crafted and iconic. Ed the Barber utters few words throughout the entire film yet he steals every scene with his 50s style film star stares and constant smoking. The smoke is one of the best actors in the whole thing, adding layers of movement to every black and white frame.The plot does get a little predictable at times, but this doesn't detract from a solid interesting piece of cinema, and the whole thing is peppered with Coen Brother traits which make it a must see for any fan of their work, and maybe even a good place to start for any Coen virgins.This is one that does improve with subsequent viewings, but might be a little slow paced for someone looking for more popcorn drama, there are some tense moments, but overall this is a character study through a 50s noir pallet.Worth a watch