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'Man Who Wasn't There' worth a rent
 Harold John Behling
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There's a definite reason why filmmakers today choose to do a film in black and white. Films like "Eraserhead," "American History X," and "Schindler's List" prove that when it comes to certain topics, moods and stories, black and white photography can be more effective than color.
"The Man Who Wasn't There" makes another good point for black and white.
First off, making a color film noir is simply unheard of. To tap into the shadowy characters, the pessimistic overtones and smoke filled atmosphere, you have to stick with black and white.
The Coen brothers never fail to present a movie that is meticulously filmed and visually stunning and this is no exception. Every dreary suburban landscape, every puff of cigarette smoke, every heavily shadowed scene is perfectly photographed.
The film begins with a dry and expressionless interior monologue, one that perfectly fits the character played by Billy Bob Thorton, Ed, a barber. His wife Doris (Frances McDormand) works at a department store. She's also having an affair with her boss (James Gandolfini) that Ed finds out about.
In a very calm fashion, Ed decides to blackmail his wife's lover in order to secure enough money to invest in a venture with a man he's just met. His plan goes wrong � way wrong. In typical Coen brother fashion (the directors have produced such botched crime flicks as "Fargo," "Raising Arizona," "The Big Lebowski," "Blood Simple" and "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?") the protagonist is surrounded by quirky characters and put through every unimaginable plot twist.
What makes "The Man Who Wasn't There" special is the expressionless nihilism of its protagonist. Instead of being a bumbling, over reactive dynamo, Thorton is a soft spoken chain smoker and thinker. He seems to accept each twist in fate with a contemplative, philosophic manner. This slight twist on the Coen brother's formula gives this film an interesting angle and almost encroaches on the surrealistic territory of David Lynch ("Mulholland Drive," "Eraserhead.")
However, this strong sense of style and formula also faults this movie. People who don't appreciate the dry wit and bitter irony of Joel and Ethan Coen will not appreciate this installment. Also viewers may be uncomfortable with the bare score and lethargic pace that sometimes feels slow even for a Coen brothers fan. The general feeling of not knowing what is going to happen next or when it's going to end can be a little bothersome, but only to people who expect a standard form of plot progression.
What it comes down to is if you're looking for something new, strange and interesting, or just plain out like one of the other movies made by this pair, "The Man Who Isn't There" is worth a rent. If you fall outside of these criteria� I think "Black Knight" came out this week also...
Harold John Behling can be reached at: [email protected]
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