The Man Who Wasn't There

by JoelCoen (Author), EthanCoen (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2001

  $3.29

  From the creators of Fargo and O Brother, Where Art Thou? From the Coen brothers, two of our most dependably provocative filmmakers (Mike Clark, USA Today), comes a darkly funny thriller that harkens back to their earlier classics such as Blood Simple, Miller's Crossing, and Barton Fink, Set in 1950s California, the film stars Billy Bob Thornton as Ed, a mild-mannered barber whose wife, Doris (Frances McDormand), is having an affair with her department store boss, Big Dave. Although Ed is initially apathetic about his wife's adultery, his life is turned upside down when one of his customers tells him about the biggest business opportunity since Henry Ford-dry cleaning-and he decides to blackmail Big Dave for the venture capital to start a chain. From there things go horribly wrong: Dave discovers Ed's identity as the blackmailer and tries to strangle Ed, who winds up killing Dave in self-defense, yet, ironically, it's Doris who the police arrest for the murder. As Ed tries to figure out what to do next his world begins to unravel, piece by piece. Full of the same kind of slow-burn character studies, biting humor, and pitch-perfect dialogue that their fans have come to love, the Coen brothers' latest film is sure to take a place among their finest work.