"They peed on my fucking rug" - The Big Lebowski (1998)


Joel and Ethan Coen have been a team all their life, as brothers and as movie makers so it would be unfair to split them up now. Together they have written and directed some of the most innovative and stylish films of the past few decades and for that they deserve joint acknowledgement here.

While the writing and directing duties are essentially shared between the two, Joel is officially credited as director while Ethan is credited as the writer. They both share producer credit and it's also not beyond them to use pseudonyms (frequently give the film editing credit to Roderick Jaynes!). It is their partnership and inventiveness that matters most and will prove their ultimate legacy in the world of movies.

The first movie from the Coen brothers was 1984's stylish noir thriller Blood Simple that received almost universal critical acclaim yet little financial success. It would be another three years before they followed it up this time with the screwball comedy Raising Arizona which again received great press and this time a pretty decent taking at the box office.

The big time came with their next outing in 1990's Miller's Crossing that remains to this day one of the finest and most unique gangster films ever made. Creating it's own jargon and making the most of it's prohibition era setting, it showed the movie world that a new talent had definitely arrived.

This form continued throughout the next few films (Barton Fink and The Hudsucker Proxy) before Oscar came calling with the sublime Fargo. Promoting Joel's wife Frances McDormand to the forefront of Hollywood with a thoroughly deserved best actress Oscar, the movie set a template for the success they were to enjoy for many years to come.

Returning to out and out comedy in the follow-up, The Big Lebowski, the brothers created the movie that would forever leave their mark with cult movie fans. Possibly the most quoteable comedy of the 90's, it seems to add yet more jokes each time I watch it.

In 2000 they released O Brother, Where Art Thou?, an affectionate comic spin on Homer's famous poem The Oddysey before returning to a noir theme in the awesome The Man Who Wasn't There.

The last few years have seen another screwball comedy with Intolerable Cruelty and a remake of the Ealing Studio's classic The Ladykillers.

They have remained faithful to their acting stars throughout with several making multiple appearances in their films and yet more are queing up to be a part of the magic as they continue bringing their genius to the big screen.


Top 5 Coen Brothers Movies

[5] Blood Simple
A hugely suspenseful thriller with several adrenaline pumping moments and a gritty noir setting. Frances McDormand plays her role superbly while M. Emmet Walsh creates one of the most memorable bad guys in recent times with a disturbingly creepy performance.

[4] The Man Who Wasn't There
One of my favourite films of the 21st Century and yet it only makes number 4 in the Coen brothers list. That only helps explain the quality of their films and this is a quality film in all respects. It's an extremely well thought out and acted drama (again in the noir style) filmed in black and white, and all the better for it. All the Coen trademarks are here and Billy Bob Thornton has never been better.

[3] The Big Lebowski
If selecting number 4 was hard enough, splitting the top three has been almost impossible. On another day this could be in the top spot of Coen movies as it's just about the funniest, most quoteable comedy of the 1990's. Jeff Bridges plays The Dude in unforgettable style and makes his claim for coolest movie character ever at the same time.

[2] Fargo
Amazingly this didn't actually resonate with me on first viewing but on each viewing since I just love it more and more. A unique setting with outrageous characters forming a supreme supporting cast and a legendary turn from Frances McDormand in the lead role. It's one of the blackest comedies ever and not only made a star of Mrs Coen but also of William H Macy and will forever be remembered as the film that labelled Steve Buscemi "kind of funny looking".

[1] Miller's Crossing
Albert Finney with a Tommy gun! Cracking crime flick with Gabriel Byrne in fine form playing right-hand man to whatever crime lord appears to be in charge at any given time. So good it even has it's own language with some superb crime slang used throughout. John Turturro begging for forgiveness in the woods is one of cinema's most celebrated scenes and let's not forget it's got Albert Finney with a Tommy gun!