Review of The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) by Matt P — 16 Jan 2011

"I don't talk much, I just cut the hair."-Are the lines recited so naturally by Billy Bob Thornton in the Coen Brothers most underrated achievement. "The Man Who Wasn't There" is one of those films where at first glance it looks to be a spoof or some sort of rip-off of old Noir classics.

True, it IS a Noir, but not a rip-off. This movie is a Retro-Noir, meaning it homageâ(TM)s the old Noirs of the 40's and 50's, and is filmed in the context so that it looks just as they would have back then.

And the payoff is spot on spectacular. The thick usage of smoke blown out by the laconic Ed Crane sets the mood as Tony Shalhoub's character clearly states how sometimes the more you look into things, the less you really know about it.

That raises a question for all who watch it afterward, "Well, what was the meaning of it?" Obviously, the meaning is not clearly stated and most likely won't be answered any time soon, as this is the Coen's hardest movie to analyze(next to A Serious Man).

Clues are given as to why Thornton's character is such an introvert. We se him timidly smoking, but doesn't really let us know if he's using that as an anger management or not. The other thing, is he really angry? Most likely not.

Just stumped and dumbfounded at the circumstances he been dealt. He can't change them, which is why everything goes wrong in Noir fashion, including the ending which is quite shocking. Ed Crane(Thornton) is anti-social, and can almost be referred to as an Alien, which he swears he sees outside the prison he's kept in at the end.

The idea of Extra Terrestrial life strengthens the meaning behind Crane and his actions. But in the end, we can't all know for sure, and if we keep looking, it may never come. "The Man Who Wasn't There" is one of the few instances where the writers(who in this case are also the directors), take a much used motto of the movie, and implant it in our heads long after the movie has ended.