6/10
THE MAN WHO WASN’T THERE (2001). This has never been regarded as one of the Coen Bros best films, and I can understand why, but it’s a lot better than some, and quite appealing in its own right as a bang on hommage to film noir. Billy Bob Thornton is the monosyllabic chain smoking barber whose wife, Frances McDormand, is cheating on him with James Gandolfini. When Gandolfini gets bumped off, she gets fingered and he stands by her. Things continue to get complicated. It’s in black and white and features a young Scarlett Johansson.
