The Man who wasn't there [DVD]

Set in small-town America, 1949, “The Man who wasn’t there”, a stylish homage to film noir, revolves around Ed Crane - a sad-eyed barber with a melancholic disposition, a sombre, monosyllabic loner whose disenchantment reflects a yearning for something more - but what? Ed thinks he sees an out when an entrepreneur seeks $10,000 to invest in a new idea - dry-cleaning. Ed extorts the money out of Big Dave - his wife’s boss, with whom she is having an affair. Instantaneously a tragic chain of events are set in motion culminating in murder, violence and the electric chair. Filmed in colour but processed in black and white, and shot by Coen brothers’ regular Roger Deakins, the aesthetic is sumptuous, moody and seductive - noirish but with a distinctly Coen edge. What also sets the film apart is Thorton’s amazing performance as Ed, a unique character, disengaged from the gay 1950s consumerism that rages around him. In a telling voice-over narration Ed ponders, ruminates, contemplates adding insight into his plight - “me I don’t talk much, I just cut the hair” encapsulating his alienation. Frances McDormand also excels as Ed’s blowsy, hard-drinking and hard-hearted wife - a very Coen-esque femme fatale. Supporting cast includes: Michael Badalucco, James Gandolfini, Tony Shalhoub, Jon Polito, Scarlett Johansson and Richard Jenkins.