Top 5 Coen Bros. Films
By Austin Johnson
When I hear or read the two words, “Coen Brothers,” I see a collection of classic stories, all-time characters, and cinematic brilliance. Joel and Ethan are both popular and hip at the same time, because it is so hard to deny that these two brothers have mastered the craft of creating films. The amount of quotes and moments that we can recall is never-ending, whether it be the shocking violence we often see or the hilarious dialogue that always follows. Thanks to Joel and Ethan we have characters like, Marge Gunderson (Fargo), Anton Chigurh (No Country For Old Men), Walter Sobchak (The Big Lebowski), Sy Abelman (A Serious Man), Detective Loren Vesser (Blood Simple), Llewyn Davis (Inside Llewyn Davis), Amy Archer (The Hudsucker Proxy), Charlie Meadows (Barton Fink), H.I. McDunnough (Raising Arizona), Jesus Quintana (The Big Lebowski), Leo O’Bannon (Miller’s Crossing), Ed Crane (The Man Who Wasn’t There), Big Dan (O Brother, Where Art Thou?), Chad Feldheimer (Burn After Reading), and The Dude (The Big Lebowski). The Coens have been nominated a total of fourteen times by the Academy for their efforts, and I couldn’t be happier that their work is always around for us film lovers to enjoy.
Recently I came across a book called This Book Really Ties The Films Together by Adam Nayman. He also joined on a podcast called The Big Picture to discuss the top 5 films done by the Coens. I was blown away by the detail and admiration Adam and The Big Picture has for the Coen Bros. altogether, so I wanted to do my own top 5. I’ll give you mine, and hopefully you can come up with your own in your head, or better yet, you might already have a top 5 in that noggin of yours.
Let’s do the ol’ countdown shall we...
Recently I came across a book called This Book Really Ties The Films Together by Adam Nayman. He also joined on a podcast called The Big Picture to discuss the top 5 films done by the Coens. I was blown away by the detail and admiration Adam and The Big Picture has for the Coen Bros. altogether, so I wanted to do my own top 5. I’ll give you mine, and hopefully you can come up with your own in your head, or better yet, you might already have a top 5 in that noggin of yours.
Let’s do the ol’ countdown shall we...
5.) Raising Arizona (1987)
“I’ll be taking these Huggies and whatever cash you got.”
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Coming in at 5 is the Coens' second film together as the writer/director duo. I feel pretty comfortable saying that this is the film of theirs that makes me laugh the most, offering up lines from some of the goofiest characters these guys have ever created. I’ll never forget watching it for the first time with one of my really close friends. We were on this Nic Cage bender, and this was a tough find for us at the time. We eventually found it at a CD Exchange store, and I was completely flabbergasted over the fact that I hadn’t seen what is now my favorite Cage role of all time. It’s really cool to go back and see that the Coens, who were 30 and 33 at the time, have a truly fascinating spark right from the get-go
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4.) Barton Fink (1991)
“I gotta tell ya, the life of the mind, there’s no road map
for that kind of territory, and exploring it can be painful.” |
This one hasn’t really been remembered as easily as most early Coen films. It was nominated for 3 Oscars, has great reviews all over the place, but it hasn’t stuck like Arizona, Fargo, or Lebowski. I’ve been an aspiring writer for some time now, and I keep falling in love with Fink’s perspective, which is what being a good writer is all about. Turturro and Goodman seem to make your screen take up the whole room at times. I was living in St. Louis a couple years ago and finally got to watch this one, all by myself, with the lights completely turned off, only my face shining from the brightness of the TV. This is a great solitary watch for anyone who loves a good film.
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3. A Serious Man (2009)
“The Uncertainty Principle. It proves we can’t ever
really know... what’s going on. So it shouldn’t bother you. Not being able to figure anything out. Although you will be responsible for this on the mid-term.” |
This one brings out a lot of first timers in a Coen film, but it showcases their style just as good as any. With no A-list actor, this film only made 30 million at the box office while the two films that sandwich it, Burn After Reading and True Grit, combined made over 400 million dollars. I don’t know many people who have sat through this one, but believe all the critics on this one, because it is so worth it. I saw this for the first time maybe a year ago, and right when the credits finished rolling, I watched it all over again. This is a hidden gem, and one of my favorite films of the 2000’s.
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2. No Country for Old Men (2007)
“I’m fixin to do something dumber than hell, but I’m going anyways.”
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The only Coen film to go the distance and get that Best Picture win at the Oscars. I guess Joel and Ethan got kind of bored around this time in their careers, because they decided to make this one with no f**king music. Instead, we hear every move these people make to survive a classic mishap, which is what the Coens do best. The first time I had the pleasure of viewing this one was on a flight from London back to Texas. What better way to come home than to watch maybe the best Texas-based film of the century.
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1. The Big Lebowski (1998)
“That rug really tied the room together.”
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The Dude abides.
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