Member review

The Coen brothers latest project is set in an unnamed prohibition-era town, the story follows Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne) an advisor to the local crime boss Leo (Albert Finney). When Leo and rival boss Casper (Jon Polito) fight over a bookie that has been cheating Casper, Tom tries to keep the peace but due to shifting circumstances Tom is caught in the middle of a dangerous power game.

Whilst watching the film I felt the movie contained lots of witty dark dialogue which rolled of the characters tongue and was full of style and violence however I felt it never fully convinced in terms of plot and lacked substance. I felt the film was too self conscience in how it was made and offered nothing new to the genre.

A recurring theme in most Coen brother’s films is that the film always starts with an image, in this film it’s the image of Tom’s dream in which his hat is flying through the forest. This image sets the tone of the whole film for me as like the hat I was searching and searching for some meaning but like Tom I found nothing special at the end just the “hat.”

Overall, the performances were passable but unconvincing, the dialogue was dark and witty but the film was a disappointment. Fortunately for fans the Coen brothers released the excellent Fargo a few years later.