The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)

Director:

Joel Coen

Writers (WGA):

Joel Coen (written by) &
Ethan Coen (written by)

Release Date:

26 October 2001 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

The last thing on his mind is murder.

Plot:

A laconic, chain-smoking barber blackmails his wife's boss and lover for money to invest in dry cleaning, but his plan goes terribly wrong.

Plot Keywords:

Blackmail | Chain Smoking | Barber | Laconic | Piano

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 19 wins & 32 nominations

Cast

Billy Bob Thornton	...	Ed Crane
Frances McDormand	...	Doris Crane
Michael Badalucco	...	Frank
James Gandolfini	...	Big Dave Brewster
Katherine Borowitz	...	Ann Nirdlinger Brewster
Jon Polito	...	Creighton Tolliver
Scarlett Johansson	...	Birdy Abundas
Richard Jenkins	...	Walter Abundas
Tony Shalhoub	...	Freddy Riedenschneider
Christopher Kriesa	...	Officer Persky
Brian Haley	...	Officer Krebs
Jack McGee	...	P.I. Burns
Gregg Binkley	...	The New Man
Alan Fudge	...	Dr. Diedrickson
Lilyan Chauvin	...	Medium

Also Known As:

The Barber Project (USA) (working title)
El hombre que nunca estuvo (Argentina) (Chile) (Peru) [es]
The Man Who Wasn't There (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Az ember, aki ott se volt (Hungary) [hu]
Barber (Japan: English title) [en]
Covek koji nije bio tamo (Serbia) [sr]
Czlowiek, którego nie bylo (Poland) [pl]
Der unauffällige Mr. Crane (Germany) (TV title) [de]
El barbero (Spain) [es]
El hombre que nunca estuvo allí (Spain) [es]
L'homme qui n'était pas là (Canada: French title) [fr]
L'uomo che non c'era (Italy) [it]
Mees, keda polnud (Estonia) [et]
Mies joka ei ollut siellä (Finland) [fi]
O Barbeiro (Portugal) [pt]
O Homem que Não Estava Lá (Brazil) [pt]
O anthropos pou den itan ekei (Greece) [el]
Orada olmayan adam (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
The barber: l'homme qui n'était pas là (France) [fr]

MPAA:

Rated R for a scene of violence.

Runtime:

116 min | Spain:118 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

New Zealand:R16 | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Singapore:NC-16 | Portugal:M/12 | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:12 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG (censored version) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #38222)

Filming Locations:

Glendale, California, USA

Company:

Good Machine

Trivia:

The name of Tony Shalhoub's character - Riedenschneider - is a homage to the character played by Sam Jaffe in The Asphalt Jungle (1950).

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Freddy Riedenschneider (Tony Shaloub) is talking to Ed (Billy Bob Thronton) in the jail after receiving information from the private detective says: "You can't know the reality of what happened, or what would have happened if you hadn't stuck in your own Goddamn schnoz. So, there is no 'what happened.' Looking at something changes it. They call it The Uncertainty Principle. Sure it sounds screwy, but even Einstein says the guy is on to something." However, Einstein never accepted Heisenberg's uncertainty principle as a fundamental physical law. Einstein stated: "Quantum mechanics is certainly imposing. But an inner voice tells me that it is not yet the real thing. The theory says a lot, but does not really bring us any closer to the secret of the 'old one'. I, at any rate, am convinced that He (God)does not throw dice." [Quantum Mechanics is based on laws of probability ... hence the reference to dice.]

Quotes:

Ed Crane: I don't know where I'm being taken. I don't know what I'll find, beyond the earth and sky. But I'm not afraid to go. Maybe the things I don't understand will be clearer there, like when a fog blows away. Maybe Doris will be there. And maybe there I can tell her all those things they don't have words for here.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bad Santa: Not Your Typical Christmas Movie (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Piano Sonata No.15 in D major, Op.28 (Pastoral)

Brilliant Billy Bob Thornton

What a difference a good director makes! Billy Bob Thornton, who was sadly misused in Bandits, gets to recover himself in his brilliant characterization of Ed Crane in this film directed by Joel Coen. His performance is so detailed and subtle that he uses his face to great advantage in the close-ups while the narration goes on in the background. The use of black and white heightens the atmosphere of this 40s-style film noir. The brilliant cinematography is incredible in the use of shadows and dark tones that enhances the story to such an extent. Frances McDormand is incredible in the film as well. And what could one say about James Gandolfini? He gets better and better all the time. The atmosphere of the era is captured even in the small details. It's very refreshing to see the Coen brothers get over their last disaster of "State and Main" with such panache, aided of course by their star, Billy Bob Thornton and the ensemble cast and a great and ironic story.