There is no better film to finish our discussion of the noir loser in the Coen brothers’ films than The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001). With the film’s protagonist, Ed Crane, the Coens take the noir loser archetype to its extreme. Whereas previous Coen losers were anxious, unsure men who let people walk all over […]
The Coen Brothers
Touch of Noir: The Bumbling Noir Loser in ‘Fargo’
The Coen brother’s films frequently share film noir’s basic philosophical assumptions: power corrupts all, evil is pervasive, and fate cannot be controlled or avoided. Their films illustrate this philosophy through stories of simple people with complex problems. These characters are tempted by greed and corruption and ultimately begin a downward spiral that can only result […]
Touch Of Noir: The Noir Loser Loses His Mind In ‘Barton Fink’
The films of the Coen brothers present strangely familiar yet bizarre and inexplicable characters. Just as their films subvert conventions, their protagonists are average people driven to extremes, and frequently exaggerated and surreal extremes. Although the Coens’ films typically defy genre, this characterization is clearly influenced by the classic noir loser – an ordinary man […]
In ‘True Grit,’ The Coen Brothers Ditch Darkly Comic Reinvention
With beautifully meticulous art direction and costume design shot by master cinematographer Roger Deakins, True Grit looks like it was painted in 1870.