The Man Who Wasn't There
Metascore
73 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 33 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 33
  3. Negative: 2 out of 33
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  1. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    100
    Like all the Coens' movies, "Man" is supremely self-aware and darkly, hellishly funny. It's also brilliantly written and acted to a fare-thee-well by an outrageously good cast.
  2. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    100
    Most of the way this ranks with the Coens' most immaculately crafted work. Cain would have loved its dreamlike chills, and so will audiences nostalgic for the movies of half a century ago.
  3. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Bob Graham
    100
    The Coens' plotting, with its suspense and reversals, is a source of amazement and delight.
  4. Time
    Reviewed by: Richard Schickel
    100
    If this were not such great American-vernacular moviemaking -- hilarious yet hypnotic -- one would be tempted to see something Greek in the tragedy that Ed never comprehends.
  5. New Times (L.A.)
    Reviewed by: Bill Gallo
    100
    For all its long shadows and ominous atmosphere, this is a very funny movie -- as funny as the Coens' masterful "Fargo."
  6. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    91
    It's an entirely conceived work of art, dark and hopeless and maybe even callous, but glittering and wonderful in its determination and in its craft.
  7. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Steven Mikulan
    90
    The Coens have resurrected a hardscrabble California of wooden porches and gravel driveways, of rolling, oak-wreathed hills and one-lane roads, and of a restless people whose meager dreams are wrecked the moment money, sex or a bottle get in the way. Never has the past seemed so familiar.
  8. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    90
    Steadily engrossing and devilishly funny, and, o brother, does it look sharp.
  9. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    90
    You could say a lot about the very satisfying The Man Who Wasn't There, but what's for sure is that no one but the deadpan, dead-on Coen brothers could have turned it out.
  10. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    90
    The Coens have used the noir idiom to fashion a haunting, beautifully made movie that refers to nothing outside itself and that disperses like a vapor as soon as it's over.
  11. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    90
    When you're in the hands of the Coen brothers, you're in for sheer originality.
  12. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    88
    To be sure, there are goofy flourishes here, the in-jokey, left-field rummies that are the Brothers Coen's stock-in-trade. But this is altogether a quieter, more philosophical sort of endeavor.
  13. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    83
    Isn't content to stick to the genre conventions it sets up. Instead, it sprawls and mutates into one of the Coens' elaborate gizmoid yarns.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 51 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. avatar16
    6
    Parfois, on ne sait pas trop à quoi s'attendre d'un film des frères Coen, ces derniers lorgnant souvent vers quelque chose d'inclassable. On pourrait bien dire que The Barber fait partie de cette catégorie. En effet, je trouve que le film ne fait pas grand chose pour aider le spectateur à entrer dans son univers, avec des scènes "bizarres" (sur les martiens!!), un manque de puissance dans les images... Et surtout, j'ai eu vraiment du mal à savoir s'il fallait regarder ce film avec sérieux ou bien avec un second degré. Bref, ce n'est pas superbement définit... Par contre, et c'est là que The Barber l'emporte, le casting est excellent (imposant Billy Bob Thornton), il y a une ambiance musicale hypnotique et surtout un noir et blanc de toute beauté, qui nous permettent de ne pas décrocher une seule seconde malgré ce que j'ai dit précédemment. Bref, un film à voir pour se faire une idée !… Full Review »
  2. JayH.
    8
    Beautifully made, great performances, outstanding black and white cinematography. Outstanding period detail, stylish and very engrossing throughout. Excellent direction.… Full Review »
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