The Films of Joel and Ethan Coen
Academy Award Winning Films Include Fargo and No Country for Old Men
Oct 27, 2008
The first film they wrote and directed together was the 1984 picture Blood Simple, which starred Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh and Frances McDormand (who many years later won an Oscar for her role in Fargo). In 1990 movie lovers were treated to another noirish, Prohibition era gangster flick called Miller's Crossing, which featured Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney and Marcia Gay Harden. Below are some short summaries of some of their most successful movies.
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
In Depression era Mississippi three chain gang prisoners escape and begin a cross country journey to recover some lost treasure. George Clooney starred as Ulysses Everett McGill, an easygoing, fast talking convict who is chained to two other accomplices Pete (John Turturro) and Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson). While making their way back to McGill's home they meet a colourful assortment of characters and record a winning song as the Soggy Bottom Boys. With its folk/bluegrass soundtrack and authentic flavour of the American Deep South, the movie was a phenomenal hit.
Fargo
Car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) is in some pretty deep financial trouble. He's been stealing money from the dealership belonging to his father in law, Wade Gustafson (Harve Presnell). In desperate need of some quick cash, Jerry hires two men up in Fargo, North Dakota to kidnap his wife. Hoping that Wade will pay a hefty ransom to get her back, Jerry's scheme seems to go according to plan. But, when the two guys (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) bungle the crime and kill a state trooper, Jerry who is a total buffoon to begin with watches helplessly as his plan begins to fall apart. On the case is pregnant police officer Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand). Persistent and sharp as a tack, she calmly and methodically tracks down every lead and finally cracks the case.
Raising Arizona
This screwball comedy is the funniest Coen film to date, and Nicholas Cage is a hoot as the ex-con H.I. McDunnough who marries a straight shooting cop named Edwina (Holly Hunter). When the couple find out they can't have a child of their own, they hatch a plan to kidnap one of the sons of a wealthy furniture tycoon. The only problem is now they've got the police on their tails, two friends who just escaped from prison cause them some trouble, and worst of all a ruthless bounty hunter from hell wants to grab the child and sell him on the black market (played convincingly by Randall "Tex" Cobb). Combining slapstick humour with high risk situations, this movie has become a Coen classic.
Don't miss some other big hits, including The Big Lebowski, Barton Fink and Intolerable Cruelty.
