An unjustly forgotten classic from the Coen Brothers, this film remains their surreal masterpeice ahead of later, more popular work. I never understood why this failed to find audience.

This is the best movie you'll ever see about writer's block, and the Coen brothers' most underrated effort. John Turturro is Barton Fink, a nerdy bespectacled playwright with a penchant for social realism. He somehow finds himself in Hollywood, in a creepy hotel with peeling wallpaper where it seems that the only other humans are Steve Buscemi in a monkey suit (!) and the jovial traveling salesman played by John Goodman. As Fink struggles with his assignment to write the script for a wrestling picture (which must feature either an orphan or a dog) he comes across a sparse and strange cast of characters, most notably William Faulkner and his toothsome assistant played by the memorable Judy Davis. No other movie captures better the desolation of sitting idle and alone in a shuttered room while the sun blazes outside, although a few (Insomnia, Apocalypse Now) have tried. And if there's anything more powerful than the scene in which a man runs down a burning hallway screaming, "I'll show you the life of the mind! I'll show you the life of the mind! THIS-IS-THE-LIFE-OF-THE-MIIIIND!" I don't know what it is. Do yourself a favor and see this.… Expand

Even if one doesn't like this film for the story, one must admit it is a masterpiece technically. The acting is superior, the directing and cinematography fit the mood and storyline like a glove. Everything in this movie makes sense (well..kind of). However, the best part of the film is that one must meet the Coen Bros. halfway. One can't just sit back and watch the story unfold...one has to analyze and actually THINK about the events and words that are being said. This movie is "simply marvelous," and definitely NOT "for the common man."… Expand

I am a HUGE, die-hard fan of the Coens, first off. This is a typical Coen bros. movie. Turturro and Goodman are amazing as always. It's funny, it's dark. It's one of their best, even though everything they do is incredible, aside from Raising Arizona and Big Lebowski. My favorite Coen film is MILLER'S CROSSING, this is definitley one of my favorites.

The blackest of black comedies and maybe the ultimate Coen brothers flick. Last time I saw "Fargo" I wasn't that impressed, but this movie is amazing. And, of course, it's not for everyone. If you're not laughing you'll probably walk out of the theater, and if you're laughing you're sick. But this movie has the courage to laugh in the face of Death, embodied by somebody who could be Satan or Hitler himself, and if you wanna know what I mean you need to rent "Barton Fink" immediately.… Expand

The sounddesign of this movie is absolutely fabulous. You guys seem to look primarily at the way the story is told, but for this movie, attention should go to the sound. The way the sound is engineerd, very selective and using a lot of silence, is the basis of the good image they give of the writers block. It also adds a lot to the symbols in the movie... hotel hell!

Just shows what amazing things the Coen Brothers can do even when they have writer's block. The performances are all top-notch and there's enough symbolic and surrealist glee to leave you scratching at your head for hours, yet everything seems fits nicely in place in the end.