The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)
87%RT Audience Score: 85%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
25 wins & 43 nominations total
Stylish but emotionally distant, The Man Who Wasn’t There is a clever tribute to the film noir genre
The Man Who Wasn’t There is a film that will leave you feeling like you just got a really good haircut – it’s precise, well-crafted, and leaves you looking sharp. Billy Bob Thornton’s performance as Ed Crane is like a buzz cut – short, to the point, and perfectly executed. The Coen Brothers’ unique brand of searching meets film noir in this atmospheric and mysterious movie that will have you on the edge of your seat. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the cut – I mean, the movie.
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros., Natant Stanley Kubrick Productions,
Distributor
USA Films
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Santa Rosa, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for a scene of violence
Year of Release
2001
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 56m
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Language(s):English, Italian, French
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Country of origin:United Kingdom
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 31, 2001 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2002
Genre(s)
Crime/Drama
Keyword(s)
Worldwide gross: $18,916,623
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $31,879,966
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,522
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 3,476,550
US/Canada gross: $7,504,257
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $12,646,838
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,547
US/Canada opening weekend: $664,404
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $1,119,712
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,266
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $20,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $33,705,769
Production budget ranking: 1,082
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $18,150,557
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$19,976,359
ROI to date (est.): -39%
ROI ranking: 1,615
Billy Bob Thornton – Ed
Frances McDormand – Doris
Michael Badalucco – Frank
James Gandolfini – Big Dave
Katherine Borowitz – Ann Nirdlinger
Jon Polito – Creighton Tolliver
Director – Joel Coen
Producer – Ethan Coen
Writers – Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Director(s)
Joel Coen
Writer(s)
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Producer(s)
Ethan Coen
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
25 wins & 43 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (160) | Top Critics (44) | Fresh (130) | Rotten (30)
Some mature themes–best for older teens.
December 28, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
Affectlessness is not a quality much prized in movie protagonists, but Billy Bob Thornton, that splendid actor, does it perfectly as Ed Crane.
October 13, 2009
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The film holds the interest, to be sure, but more due to the sure sense of craft and precise effect that one expects from the Coens than from genuine involvement in the story.
November 7, 2007
Todd McCarthy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Joel and Ethan Coen stay true to their bent for dense heroes and neonoir, and to their unshakable conviction that life usually turns out to be splendidly horrific.
November 7, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Slowly paced for a thriller and with a hero many will find off-putting, this is nevertheless a gripping, unusual and challenging work from the most consistently brilliant filmmakers of the last decade.
December 30, 2006 | Rating: 4/5
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
In this the Coens’ sly script is helped no end by Billy Bob Thornton’s supremely eloquent performance as the taciturn tonsor, lent terrific support from Frances McDormand as the wife.
June 24, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
The Coens often exaggerate a genre to comic effect, and for The Man Who Wasn’t There, the mechanics of film noir marry with the Coens’ unique brand of searching, and together realize their most mysterious, atmospheric motion picture.
March 2, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
Leave it to Joel and Ethan Coen to not only pay expert homage to the film noir genre, but darn near perfect it.
May 22, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm
Thornton’s performance is legitimately mesmerising, if only because it’s such an unusual anchor to a film.
May 26, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5
Tim Brayton
Alternate Ending
Much less acidic than Fargo, not as graceful as The Big Lebowsky, and barely enigmatic as Barton Fink, The Man Who Wasn’t There is, isn’t far from being the best film of the [Coen Brothers]. [Full review in Spanish]
September 6, 2017
Fernanda Solórzano
Letras Libres
Just the barber
January 19, 2016 | Rating: 4.5/5
James Wegg
JWR
Ed’s problem isn’t so much that he isn’t there but that, when you finally catch a glimpse of him, there’s no way to be sure exactly what has caught your gaze.
October 14, 2011
Michael Nordine
Not Coming to a Theater Near You…
Plot
1949, Santa Rosa, California. A laconic, chain-smoking barber with fallen arches tells a story of a man trying to escape a humdrum life. It’s a tale of suspected adultery, blackmail, foul play, death, Sacramento city slickers, racial slurs, invented war heroics, shaved legs, a gamine piano player, aliens, and Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. Ed Crane cuts hair in his in-law’s shop; his wife drinks and may be having an affair with her boss, Big Dave, who has $10,000 to invest in a second department store. Ed gets wind of a chance to make money in dry cleaning. Blackmail and investment are his opportunity to be more than a man no one notices. Settle in the chair and listen.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
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