Rating- * * * * * (5/5)
Watching a movie like this makes me wish that I could have lived in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Back then, you didn’t make a movies to overload the senses of your viewers and leave them thinking they have performed some kind of physical activity. You made movies that had style, panache, intelligence, and if nothing else, class. The concepts of style and atmosphere have all but vanished in the Big-Budget, Jerry Bruckheimer world of today’s Hollywood and it is rare to find a film as darkly beautiful as the classic film noir of the 1940s like Double Indemnity or The Maltese Falcon. But if there is one filmmaker (or should I say pair of filmmakers) that knows the importance of creating atmosphere in a movie, it’s the Coen Brothers. Ethan and Joel Coen have written some of the most stylistic pieces of the past decade including Blood Simple, Fargo, and O Brother, Where Art Thou? Joel, who directs all the films and co-writes them, has an extensive knowledge and love of classic film and this is obvious from the meticulous design of the look of the film. Everything, the cars, the dialogue, the architecture, all looks exactly as it would in classic ‘40s film noir and although it may seem different for today’s audiences, the black and white photography is absolutely perfect for this film. The dark, foreboding mood and the sad desperation of the main character, Ed Crane (Billy Bob Thornton), simply could not be conveyed without the use of black and white and the expert use of it makes for a lush, overwhelming atmosphere that just is not seen in movies anymore. The story itself is also very faithful to the film noir style; it follows a lowly, small town man who leads a fairly boring and routine life who decides to take a chance one day to make money and fame for himself. This sets off a chain of events that leads to tragedy for everyone in the film and he almost gets away with it. Unfortunately, as in all film noir, the hero (or anti-hero as he is often called) is eventually punished, not for his actual crime but for one that he didn’t even commit, creating a kind of poetic justice. The film is also narrated by the main character and Thornton’s cold, matter-of-fact voice over adds to the dark atmosphere of the film. The acting is fantastic from just about every role in the film; there’s James Gandolfini as the big-talking boss who’s having an affair with Ed’s wife; Michael Badalucco as Ed’s brother-in-law and employer who loves to hear himself talk and is so self-involved that we begin to wonder if he’s ever had a thought of concern for someone else in his entire life; and there’s my favorite performance by Tony Shalhoub as the big city lawyer who is always on top of his case because, well, its all he ever thinks about. With such rich characters, witty dialogue, and beautiful visuals, this film is a gem among modern cinema and should be considered among the best of film noir and is certainly one of the best films of the year.