The Man Who Wasn't There

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Year:	2001
Country of origin:	UK / USA
Director:	Joel Coen
Genre:	Crime thriller
Starring:	Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, James Gandolfini, Michael Badalucco, Tony Shalhoub
Rating:	4/5
IMDB link:	http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0243133/
Tagline:	The last thing on his mind is murder.
Favourite line:	"I was a ghost. I didn't see anyone. No one saw me. I was the barber."

When the Coen Brothers announced that they were making a movie in black and white about a barber, you just knew that there simply had to be more to it than that, and indeed there is.

Billy Bob Thornton plays Ed Crane, the strong silent type, chain smoking his way through his endless days spent cutting the hair of the local male population.
One day, in walks a smarmy salesman type, who offers Crane the chance to invest in a fledgling dry cleaning company, which Crane initially refuses but, when he confirms that his wife is having an affair, he decides to blackmail the 'other fella' to bankroll the investment. From then on, it's downhill all the way as he becomes embroiled in fraud, embezzlement and, ultimately, murder.

Thornton's portrayal is a study of perfection, and his Crane is a character that draws you in almost hypnotically, despite the fact that he is a man of very few words.
Coen movie stalwart (she is Joel Coen's wife, after all) Frances McDormand is more subdued than usual, though it is still an effective performance.
Slightly too long, and flagging towards the end, this is still an interesting movie, and a must for Coen Brothers completists.