Why Everyone Should See At Least One Coen Brothers Movie

I feel like my first acknowledged viewing of a Coen brother's movie came quite late in my cinematic education and I would love to save others the mistake of not seeing their work sooner rather than later. I think I was 23 at the time and I was overwhelmed by how well the film was constructed. In my mind, their work is flawless.

For those that aren't aware of them, the Coen brothers are Joel and Ethan Coen. Together with quite a tight knit crew and a few regular actors that appear in almost all of their movies, they create wonderful films that need to be seen by anyone with an interest in cinema. The cinematography, screenplay, acting, editing, lighting etc... ALWAYS work. That said, even within Coen Brothers films, some films are better than others.

Together the Coen Brothers have received (according to imdb sources) some 90 awards from some 122 nominations including 4 Oscars from some 13 nominations. In the modern era of the Oscars, those statistics are incredible.

For those who love Hollywood movies, I would suggest Intolerable Cruelty as your introduction to a Coen Brothers movie. It is probably as close to a Hollywood film that is still quintessentially Coen Brothers, as the Coen Brothers get.

For those who are really into interesting camera techniques, you cannot go past The Big Lebowski and Barton Fink.

For those that like landscapes, No Country for Old Men will satisfy your senses.

For those that like their comedy really black, Fargo is definitely your cup of tea.

My first experience of a Coen Brothers movie was The Hudsucker Proxy - although I didn't know that it was made by the Coen Brothers at the time.  I loved it. The storyline was a little quirky and the cinematography, editing and acting were seamless. I had no idea where the storyline was going as the film evolved which only enhanced my engagement with the film.

It wasn't until I saw Barton Fink some four years later that I realised who the Coen Brothers were and I made it my mission to see everything that they had made that I had access to within the video shop where I worked and in no particular order. I would also try to convince anyone looking (or even not looking) for a film recommendation to see one of their movies - usually The Big Lebowski or Fargo (two of my personal favourites).

For those wanting to view the Coen Brothers movies in chronological order, they are as follows:

1. Blood Simple
2. Raising Arizona
3. Miller's Crossing
4. Barton Fink
5. The Hudsucker Proxy
6. Fargo (should have won best picture)
7. The Big Lebowski (I am surprised this film wasn't nominated for cinematography)
8. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
9. The Man Who Wasn't There
10. Intolerable Cruelty
11. The Ladykillers
12. No Country for Old Men (a well deserved best picture)
13. Burn After Reading (exceptional reason as to why Brad Pitt deserves an Oscar for his acting ability)
14. A Serious Man
15. True Grit
16. Inside Llewyn Davis

For the die hards, you can include Paris, je t'aime after The Ladykillers and To Each His Own Cinema after No Country for Old Men as they directed segments in each of those films but for full directed by the Coen Brothers in their entirety, the list above is pretty much complete as at this time.

So that's it for today. Let me know your thoughts - if you have a favourite Coen Brothers movie, what is it and why?