| The Man Who Wasn't There Hmm. The film started and I saw that USA movies was repsonsible for this film. I thought to myself, 'oh great, one of those tv stations making a movie in hopes of getting one night of decent ratings'. However this movie starred Billy Bob Thornton who I have enjoyed watching once or twice. The film proclaims that Joel and Ethan Coen are the primary creators and whatever that means is lost on me since I am unfamiliar with their work. Or at least, if I am familiar with it I don't realize it. Done in black and white 'The Man Who Wasn't There' made me think the movie was going to be some kind of statement or something. However, it seems as if that was to give it a bit of a dream like feel. Very basic cinematograpy also lends itself to this and I am transported into a sort of 'nothing really matters' mindset as I watch this movie, shot very methodically, and without any bells or whistles. The acting, just fine. I thought Mr. Thornton did fine as well as the supporting cast. The directing was basic and nice too. Set in the late 1940s, in a California town with Mr. Thornton playing a barber who seems unattached to anything in life. Much of the movie is told with his voice, in a sort of diary voice-over, while images go by. Two murders, a scandal, an investment gone awry, and quirky characters, this movie put me into a sort of funk upon ending. As you can see from this review, I'm not even sure what I saw or how I feel about it. It was a lot like a dream that had no purpose. Just something that occupied some of my time and left me not really sure what I wanted to do with my time afterwards. The Man Who Wasn't There's Website (could not be found) Archived 6/15/05 |
 |