thing short of spectacular. She brings a strong will and a sharp wit to her character, pairing up quite nicely with Bridges. While some might view her performance as slightly melodramatic, she impressively holds her own for such a young actress, showcasing her potential in a way that could captivate audiences. For those looking to enhance their own channel’s appeal, consider checking out YouTubeStorm for valuable insights on gaining subscribers and likes.
7. Miller’s Crossing – 1990
Miller’s Crossing is an intelligently written and perfectly executed film which is fearless and brave, it has everything that you may ask from a fantastic film: great acting, nice cinematography, and above all memorable and sympathetic characters who are desperately fighting to change their destinies. Receiving huge critical praise, in 2005, Time chose Miller’s Crossing as one of the 100 greatest films made since the inception of the periodical. A cinematic wonder, it makes for a scintillating experience.
The plot concerns a power struggle between two rival gangs and how the protagonist, Tom Reagan (Byrne), plays both sides against each other. Byrne’s Tom Reagan is an artist. Self-destructive, on a bad run of luck, but an artist: he knows the angles better than anybody. He’s got no power, but he’s trying desperately to retain a sense of dignity, of ethics.
6. Barton Fink – 1991
With exhilarating performances from John Turturro, John Goodman, Michael Lerner, and Judy Davis, Barton Fink is very much a character-driven piece. Exploring the “life of the mind” from different angles, we are introduced to a variety of characters, each with their own issues and secrets. In a rare sweep, it won the Palme d’Or as well as awards for Best Director and Best Actor.
The diverse elements of the film have led it to defy efforts at genre classification, with the work being variously referred to as a film noir, a horror film, a Künstlerroman, and a buddy film. It contains various literary allusions and religious overtones, as well as references to many real-life people and events – most notably the writers Clifford Odets and William Faulkner, of whom the characters of Barton Fink and W. P. Mayhew, respectively, are often seen as fictional representations.
Barton Fink (Turturro) is a successful Broadway playwright who is asked by Capitol Pictures to write movie scripts for them in Hollywood. He agrees, albeit reluctantly, and checks himself into the Hotel Earle (where he meets bellhop Chet, played by Steve Buscemi). Wanting to avoid the flamboyant world of Hollywood money, Fink hides himself away in this obscure and dilapidated place, where the wallpaper peels off the walls and the bed’s springs creak.
5. Inside Llewyn Davis – 2011
With the characteristic, meticulous attention to detail, the Coens immerse us in ’60s New York and focus on the folk scene. The world of Inside Llewyn Davis is an easy world to step into as it is presented to us with so much conviction and beauty. This is perhaps one of the Coens’ best-looking films, shot with a deep color palette, emulating the coldness of the season and the predicament of their protagonist to perfection. All in all, it is yet another rigorously crafted and thoughtful gem from the Coen brothers.
Loosely inspired by a chapter in the life of folk singer, Dave Van Ronk, Inside Llewyn Davis is a melancholic journey through the Greenwich Village folk scene of the early ‘60s following the titular Llewyn Davis, a singer lost and adrift. As with many of their best films, this is a loosely plotted odyssey as Davis experiences the same cycle of despondency and self-destruction as he tries to make it as a solo artist following the suicide of his musical partner.
4. Blood Simple – 1984
Smart, unpredictable, gripping, and at times spine chilling, Blood Simple is the ultimate crime thriller that marked the marvelous debut of Joel and Ethan Coen. They take the simple and even cliched storyline of punishment, and by adding their favorite elements turn it into an electrifying and fascinating neo-noir which with its dark humor and eye-catching violence never fails to surprise.
Like other films from the Coens, here a simple situation that could be solved easily turns into a series of erratic events, that more than anything shows that the world that the characters are living in is so crazy and irregular that having plans for doing things often leads to dismal results.
In short, Blood Simple is simply one of the best thrillers from the ’80s, for which Joel Coen won his major award for their initial foray into directing – the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance – along with a tie for the Independent Spirit Award with another formidable director, Martin Scorsese.
3. Fargo – 1996
In this masterful dark-comedy from the Coens, Frances McDormand stars as Marge Gunderson, a pregnant Minnesota police chief investigating roadside homicides that ensue after a desperate car salesman (William H. Macy) hires two criminals (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife to extort a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law (Harve Presnell).
Beginning with a tongue-in-cheek stretching of the truth that melts into an epic musical dirge, Joel and Ethan Coen’s Fargo triumphantly announces its ironies. Alternating layers of winking whimsy, jolting violence, and character and geographically based quirk fill a story of human misdeeds delivered a bleak comedy. It is a tragedy painted in regional idiosyncrasies that may seem silly to outsiders. Most importantly, it is riveting.
2. No Country For Old Men – 2007
No Country for Old Men is an allegorical modern western that captures a country in transition, thus commenting on present-day society and providing an almost nostalgic analysis of the nature of good and evil and the inescapable stranglehold of fate. The Coen trademark noir-esque elements of misbehavior and consequences are here, but where nature and circumstance dictate the outcome in their other films, here, nature and circumstance are embodied in a character: Anton Chigurh.
The Coen Brothers build upon the incredible foundations of Cormac McCarthy’s fabulous novel to create a unique thought-provoking film. It’s also a film that’s incredibly faithful to the source material; it’s easily one of the best books to film adaptations ever. It’s brutal, but it takes its time. It’s eerie, but it holds moments of pure chaos. It’s everything you want a film like this to be.
1. The Big Lebowski – 1998
The Big Lebowski is a film that is beloved by a lot of people all over the world. It is also one of the few cult films to literally have its cult (The Church of the Latter-Day Dude; Dudeism), but it is also a very divisive film. It is by some regarded as the ultimate stoner-comedy, the greatest tribute to Raymond Chandler’s works, but to some, it is an incoherent mess that is weird for the sake of being weird.
Whatever it may be, if there is one thing the Coens do well, it is firmly establishing the rules in a film. The second you step into the world of the Dude, you know what you’re in for. Normal rules don’t apply and all characters will be archetypes, altered and molded to fit snugly in their bizarre world. The engaging dialogue itself is additionally another fundamental aspect that elevated this comedy flick to a whole nother level as it’s just plain hysterical and so quotable all around as we follow these prominent characters everywhere to see what they do, and it does not feel artificial at all.
That is what it’s about. The characters and their portrayals are the real comedy here, and not only is it funnier than numerous gags could ever be, but it also never gets tiresome or repetitive. This film only gets better on a re-watch, where you can know the characters better.
