Review of Barton Fink (1991) by August M — 23 Oct 2015
Damn. This certainly ranks up their with the Coen brothers' best and that's saying something, as they've made some of the best films of the last 20 years. With Barton Fink, the Coens have crafted a brilliant tragi-comedy about neuroses and creativity.
In fact, it almost completely eviscerates Hollywood and the Hollywood system. In Fink's Hollywood, talented writers are taken in, chewed up, and spit out until they resemble very little of what made them good in the first place.
It's also incredibly allegorical, referencing a number of biblical people and themes. Like most Coen movies, the writing is superb, with even the side players getting fleshed out. The Coens know how to create an entire world for their characters to play off of.
The movie is certainly a lot to unpack and I don't think the Coens would have it any other way. This is a movie that would buckle under the guidance of almost any other director(s).
This review of Barton Fink (1991) was written by August M on 23 Oct 2015.
Barton Fink has generally received very positive reviews.
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