The Man Who Wasn't There
User Score
8.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 51 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 48 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 51
  3. Negative: 0 out of 51

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  1. ArnoldP.
    Nov 10, 2001
    9
    A clever, masterful tribute to the heyday film noir a la James Cain ("The Postman Always Rigs Twice"). A magnificent ensemble of leads and characters that would do even Fellini proud. A comic drama that engages you encased in resplendently brilliant black and white photography. It's damn solid entertainment, directed adroitly. With one priceless moment of the deceased wife's version of, who done it that is so original it's worth the price of admission by itself. Downbeat ending didn't dampen my enthusiasm. … Expand
  2. AdamS.
    Nov 10, 2001
    10
    I had a dream the other night and it look a lot like "The Man Who Wasn't There". Then I realized I wasn't sleeping. What a beautiful dream. Thank you Coens for making my dreams come true.
  3. Ach
    Dec 1, 2001
    10
    It was amazing!
  4. PaulaW.
    Jan 1, 2002
    6
    The Coen brothers' films almost always have more style than substance, and usually it doesn't matter. But the high-gloss facade of The Man Who Wasn't There clashes awkwardly with its supposedly austere morality, resulting in a mishmash of prewar noir and postwar Hitchcockian mystery. The script stretches the clean, straightforward moral logic of the noir (the wages of sin is death, or at least San Quentin) to the breaking point by spinnning out twist after twist in which the hero seems to escape, but is then ensnared in some other way. The result is a rococo more-noir-than-noir-itself, crammed with cliches of life circa 1950: the salesman in a dingy hotel room with an iron bedstead, the tough-as-nails dame in cat-eye glasses, the war hero, pulp magazines, the jitterbug set piece, and believe it or not, aliens at Roswell. If only the Coen brothers respected their own talent enough to know when to stop.… Expand
  5. NikolaD.
    Jan 3, 2002
    10
    Brilliant thriller.
  6. BradB.
    Apr 4, 2002
    4
    Rivals "Barton Fink" for the title of least enjoyable Coen film. Stylish? Sure. But overly long without so much as a hint of a payoff.
  7. JamieW.
    May 1, 2003
    10
    Neo-noir at its best.
  8. RyanM.
    Nov 10, 2001
    10
    It?s hard to describe the Coen?s new masterpiece. It?s brilliant, it?s influential to film?but what many people don?t realize is how amazing their accomplishment really is. It?s one of the three best films of the year, why, not because it?s ?a great movie? or not even because it?s performances are great. It?s because everything is pitch perfect: the performances, the direction, the screenplay, the photography, the timing and so on. Sure, it?s slow, it?s long, it?s risky?but that?s the whole point. It does what it wants to do, and that is what makes it ?a great movie.? It doesn?t flinch, it never squirms, it only takes its drive turn-by-turn so it doesn?t carry itself away, it stays on the boat. It leaves the dock, but it stays on the boat. It?s long it?s dreary, it?s sleepy it?s eerie?it?s brilliant. Billy Bob Thorton gives (what I think) is the performance of his career and probably the performance of the year. Its absolutely perfect?it?s flawless.… Expand
  9. JayH.
    Oct 22, 2008
    8
    Beautifully made, great performances, outstanding black and white cinematography. Outstanding period detail, stylish and very engrossing throughout. Excellent direction.
  10. DevonH.
    Nov 1, 2001
    9
    Its a must-see for its creativity. It different, and different in a good way.
  11. JinC.
    Nov 16, 2001
    8
    This movie is long, slow and measured. And it's all the better for it. it has a quirky resonance that'll have you itching to talk about the 'meaning' with your pals... and perhaps that itself is what the movie is about. The Coen bros signature oddball humor peeks its head out in the wierdest of moments. Just great. And every time Tony Shalhoub peeks his head out in a film, you can bet money that it's gonna be gold. btw it's not fritz but werner.… Expand
  12. AlexK.
    Nov 27, 2001
    10
    Absolutely brilliant... its flaws are merely a testament to its ambition. "The Man" surpasses "Fargo" in more ways than one and certainly deserves the #1 spot on the net gross charts over that commercialized wizard. Unfortunately, much like the fantastic "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" before it, this latest Coen Bros. entry is destined to be misunderstood and dismissed by ignorant critics unwilling to delve into the rich world beneath the movie's deliberately austere surface.… Expand
  13. JordanB.
    Nov 4, 2001
    10
    Rising far above the sludge of today's Hollywood trash, "The Man Who Wasn't There" is nothing less than epic. Genuinely my new favourite film.
  14. JonC.
    Nov 9, 2001
    6
    Truly an example of all style and no substance. For shame Mr. Coen and Mr. Coen, we know you can do better than that.
  15. JackJ.
    Jun 23, 2002
    9
    Excellent story and well directed. Held my attention from beginning to end.
  16. JavierK.
    Sep 15, 2002
    10
    Brilliant and amazing from the beginning to the end. Coen Brothers have made another unforgetable film, like all their films.
  17. TheGilbertMulroneycakesAffair
    May 14, 2003
    10
    This is the Coens' "Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back" - not in method, obviously, but in intent - they made it just to please themselves and their friends. Anyone wanting a leg-up into the weird parallel universe of the Coens: watch Fargo, Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona and Blood Simple before this one. Veteren Coenheads: if you haven't seen it, paddle yourself silly with a broom handle, then see it. Someone said (here in Britain) that it's their masterpiece. Well, for what it's worth, I reckon Fargo is still their stone-cold number one "masterpiece de tutti", but this has just overtaken The Big Lebowski (by a tissue paper) as their second-best flick, from the strange 3-D title sequence to the genuinely moving closing image. So, brilliant, but not for the uninitiated. Or twats.… Expand
  18. YoonC.
    Sep 22, 2003
    8
    An effective aggregation of human drama with an occult cosmic sense of fate beyond our control, it exercises the conventions of noir but has the trappings of a paranoid sci-fi movie. If this movie goes beyond the usual noir formula it's from the premonition of deep murky cosmos underneath our soul, a dank sense of karma of a life born and destroyed, where human consciousness serves just as a glimpse into illusional reality. Is it Coens doing David Lynch? However, I can't shake off the feeling that the Coen brothers are, as usual, a bit too glib with this material, epitomizing filmschool sensibility and much too indebted to the styles of the past. … Expand
  19. LisaB.
    Dec 29, 2001
    10
    It was a brilliant movie like all their movies. I love the Coen brother's movies.
  20. avatar16
    Jun 1, 2012
    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 !… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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
  1. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Stephen Hunter
    80
    It's the latest and one of the best entries in a genre whose highest philosophical expression is the whiplash realization that the universe doesn't play fair.
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  2. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Rene Rodriguez
    63
    As a whole, it's a bit of a mess, the work of bratty geniuses with talent to spare, but unsure of what -- if anything -- they're trying to say.
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  3. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    50
    It's clever, in a "dare you to name this hommage" kind of way, but it's fundamentally heartless and coldly hollow.
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