The five essential Coen brothers movies everyone must see
It’s difficult to confine the work of Joel and Ethan Coen to one genre, with an always-evolving body of work that has earned the Coen brothers a reputation as the chameleon brothers of Hollywood.
With stories that flit between stoners, teachers and murderers, with fables, tales and allegories of both subtle and explosive proportions, the Coen brothers have achieved an entirely unique filmography through their ability to maintain a sense of unity within their style, despite constantly reinventing the way they express this; seamlessly blending their vision with the conventions of each genre they adopt, with a modern twist on each one.
However, whether you’re watching The Big Lebowski, Barton Fink, or A Serious Man, the directors are known for the thematic threads that are subtly woven throughout each piece of work; with absurdist stories that explore the suffering and banality of the human condition, with a dark yet whimsical humour that pokes fun at the silly business of being alive. With nihilistic undercurrents and a tendency to escalate everything to an extreme, in the most simple terms, you could say that the Coen brothers love stories about people who are having the worst day of their life.
But with nearly 20 films between them, where does one begin? In order to save yourself from the existential crisis of watching all films at once, here are (debatably) the five movies made by the Coen brothers that everyone must see.
The five best Coen brothers movies:
5. A Serious Man (2009)
If you’re a particularly sensitive soul, then A Serious Man is not for you. A film that resembles the sick love child of Happy as Lazzaro and Uncut Gems, the story can only be described as the documentation of a man living a waking nightmare, with the main character being divorced, diseased, and hit by a car. The Coen brothers are not the types to refrain from kicking a man when he’s down; in fact, this is one of their definitive storytelling tactics.
But in many of their other films, the characters are able to pick themselves up after this narrative beating, but A Serious Man is a cautionary tale about giving in to the weight of uncertainty, a man who becomes so burdened by not being able to predict his own future that he ultimately gives up, plagued by a fear of the unknown. And for this reason, I would argue that it rightfully earns its place on this list as being their most cynical film.
4. Burn After Reading (2008)
I first watched Burn After Reading after it was released in 2008, and to this day, it is the only film that has made my famously stoic father cry with laughter. After a disc containing confidential CIA information is accidentally left in the hands of two gym employees, Linda and Chad, they see it as an opportunity to earn a bit of money and pay for Linda’s cosmetic surgery. But of course, things don’t go according to plan.
It’s perhaps the duo’s meanest and funniest film due to the way it punches down at the stupidity of the characters, laughing both with and at the earnest intensity of Linda and Chad as they find themselves in increasingly ridiculous situations, desperate to cling onto this far-fetched plan. It also earns an extra star for the sheer perfection of each line delivery (“I thought you might be worried about… the security of your… shit?”). A comedic beat is never missed, and they even manage to work in a dance scene. Wild.
3. The Big Lebowski (1998)
Whilst we were laughing at the naivety of the characters in Burn After Reading, everyone is most certainly laughing with The Dude in the cult classic comedy, The Big Lebowski. The premise is simple: Jeffrey has had his rug stolen, and he would like it back, because after all, it really… I can’t remember the line. But, he’d like it back. And so, the film follows ‘The Dude’ on an odyssey through Los Angeles as he journeys to find the meaning behind the freak incident that lost him his most prized possession.
Perhaps one of the best stoner comedies of all time, The Big Lebowski is endlessly quotable and iconic, with a perfect ensemble cast that heightens its trippy weirdness; with a back-catalogue of moments that have shaped pop culture as we know it and singlehandedly brought about the resurgence of the white Russian. Cheers to that.
2. No Country for Old Men (2007)
No Country for Old Men is an interesting fork in the road within the Coen brothers’ filmography; a bleak and unnerving twist on the Western with a game of cat and mouse between a killer, cop, and detective, each searching for answers at the heart of a gruesome crime. Javier Bardem is almost unrecognisable in this role, arguably playing one of the most frightening villains of all time, with the tension slowly unravelling to a point that is almost unbearable.
The directors utilise the tropes of the genre against the audience, expecting something that never really comes (which ends up being far worse than ever seeing it), waiting for an exhale or sight of relief that you aren’t given the luxury of having. It’s a sick mind game of everything it doesn’t show, and once again shows the versatility and genius of the Coen brothers.
1. Barton Fink (1991)
And finally, Barton Fink. Released in 1991, the film follows a playwright who moves to a Hollywood hotel, struggling to write his first screenplay and adjust to the inner workings of the film industry. As one of their earlier films, it’s fascinating to see the thematic evolution throughout their work and how the foundations of this are laid in Barton Fink, with nihilism and uncertainty being an integral part of the plot as Barton wrestles with his creative purpose throughout the writing of his film, something that slowly begins to lose all meaning. The film is not an easy one to understand, and perhaps one that cannot be understood.
As all good films do, they unravel and spiral as you unpick their threads, creating more possibilities that only feed on themselves. Is it about the film industry? About capitalism? Anxiety and existential dread? Regardless of how you interpret its meaning, the film is endlessly compelling, a Schrödinger’s box of questions that will linger with you after watching it. And with this, the Coen brothers proved themselves from early on as masters of allegorical storytelling, with a knack for creating comedy within tragedy, and highlighting the absurdity of being alive.
