Guide Rating -

DVD Release Date: October 1, 2002

Length: 116 minutes
MPAA Rating: Rated R for a scene of violence

Written and directed by the Coen brothers, "The Man Who Wasn't There" is an entertaining crime drama. The movie is in black-and-white to emphasize its film noir roots and period piece feel, but it ultimately turns out to be a character study of its chain-smoking protagonist, memorably portrayed by Billy Bob Thornton. I recently watched this film at home on DVD and thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, the DVD comes with some nice special features.

In 1949 in the northern California town of Santa Rosa, Ed Crane (Thornton) is a barber, working second chair to his brother-in-law. He lives quietly with his wife Doris (Frances McDormand), who keeps the books at Nirdlinger's department store. Ed is unhappy with his lot in life, partly because Doris is having an affair with her boss Big Dave (James Gandolfini), who is married to a Nirdlinger.

One day at the barbershop, Ed trims the hair of a garrulous traveler named Creighton Tolliver, who promises big returns to those investing capital in the up-and-coming business of dry cleaning. Ed blackmails Big Dave to the tune of $10,000 and gives the money to Tolliver, setting off a convoluted chain of events during which three people wind up dead.

As the story unfolds, high-powered defense attorney Freddy Riedenschneider (Tony Shalhoub) defends clients at two trials. Also, Ed becomes involved in an odd relationship with a teenage girl (Scarlett Johansson) who plays piano. There's also a plot thread involving flying saucers.

I loved the Coen brothers' script, with most of the best lines going to Billy Bob Thornton, who, as Ed Crane, narrates the film. For example, Crane reports on defense attorney Freddy Riedenschneider's speech before a jury: "He told them to look not at the facts, but at the meaning of the facts. Then he said the facts had no meaning."

Thornton's performance is outstanding, and I doubt if I'll ever forget the way he looks in the film's many close-ups. The cinematography by Roger Deakins is wonderful, fitting the mood of the story perfectly. I liked the musical score, too, which consists mostly of Beethoven piano sonatas.

I really enjoyed the commentary track, a free-for-all featuring Billy Bob Thornton and both Coen brothers-I still haven't learned to tell the brothers' voices apart. Also, there's a 16-minute making-of featurette, where we find out the film was referred to as "Untitled Barber Movie" during shooting. Another special feature is a 45-minute interview with cinematographer Roger Deakins, where I was interested to learn that the movie was shot on color film stock, at least in part because there had to be a provision for an overseas color release to get financing. Finally, I loved seeing the virtuoso performance by Tony Shalhoub in the Deleted Material segment titled "Riedenschneider's Opening Argument." There are a few other special features as well, and I've listed them below.

Selected Special Features on the DVD:

• Commentary by Billy Bob Thornton and Joel and Ethan Coen
• Making "The Man Who Wasn't There"
• Interview with Cinematographer Roger Deakins
• Deleted Material
• Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery
• Filmographies
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spots (2)