In My Opinion: The Top Ten Coen Bros. Films
From Blood Simple to Burn After Reading and The Dude to Anton Chigurh
 | Hudsucker Proxy (1994) |
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| The Hudsucker Proxy is certainly a weird movie, but one I love. It was the only time they used Tim Robbins, a guy who seems like he's built for Coen Films. Gangly, smiling, and in constant motion, Robbins tries his damndest for Hudsucker Industries as Norville Barnes. "You know, for kids!" has become a rallying cry for Coen fans ever since, and this is the only Coen film that dealt with corporate America with any real success. It's also a solid representative for the "put upon common man" — a theme that runs throughout Coen-dom. Isolation and fighting against the deranged and crooked powers far bigger than yourself is dealt with in every single one of my top ten Coen movies, but Hudsucker really drills the message home. It's also the least violent film in the Coen canon, rated only PG for mild thematic elements. | |
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 | No Country for Old Men (2007) |
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| And so begins my "Greater Coen" Canon, the six films which I could see in the number one slot if I was in the right mood. No Country for Old Men is a damned fine film, and I went back and forth between the #5 and #6 slot for it because No Country and Miller's Crossing are constructed in the same manner. The throughline of No Country is "You never see it coming" and somehow the boys managed to piss off a few viewers with their first mainstream hit (it was very easily their first $100m box office), because they didn't see the ending coming. Me? I know predicting a Coen film is like predicting the exact path and mph of a hurricane when it's right on top of you. Impossible, and largely fruitless. The slow drawl of Tommy Lee Jones, the quiet menace of Javier Bardem, this is an "A" level movie. My only complaint is the slightly slower pacing, but when you're at the Sistine Chapel you don't stop to complain about the line. | |
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 | Miller's Crossing (1990) |
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| Miller's Crossing came along six years after Blood Simple and it showed off the Coen's ability to weave multiple and complex storylines and motivations together. It was a bit like when Jordan learned to shoot a jumper, that extra element that pushed their work from "All-Star" to "All-Time Great". There are so many worthwhile moments in this film, from Jon Polito screaming about people giving him "The High Hat" to Marcia Gay Harden remarking to Gabriel Byrne that she'd never seen anybody make "being a son of a bitch such a point of pride." The striking thing about Byrne's performance is how well it set up his Usual Suspects persona five years later. Miller's Crossing also delves into the "No one really knows anyone" theme that the Coen brothers consistently display. | |
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 | The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) |
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| This one is probably the one most people haven't seen, even current Coen fans, which is a shame, as it's also their best looking film by a wide margin. I don't know if you'll ever get the chance to catch it on the big screen, but the Coen brothers went with black and white… because they could. Billy Bob Thornton as a barber who gets caught up in a situation beyond his control (stop me if you heard this one before), mixing with people who are unfaithful and mistrusting. There's also a very early Scarlett Johansson appearance. All of the Coens' work is an homage on some level, but this one just drips with the way films used to be made. Measured, intelligent and packing a wallop at the end. I can't recommend The Man Who Wasn't There highly enough. | |
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Haven't seen Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, Hudsucker Proxy, The Man Who Wasn't There, Intolerable Cruelty, or The Ladykillers. So I don't know how much my opinion on the overall Coen canon counts.
I think my #1 would absolutely have to be No Country For Old Men. When I saw it first, I quite enjoyed it, but I didn't think it was as good as Fargo. When I watched it a second time (after having read the book)… wow. I was utterly rocked to the core, and I would have to say that it's my second-favourite film of 2007 (an extremely strong year for film, just quietly) after Atonement.
#2 would probably actually be The Big Lebowski. For that chair-up-against-the-door gag alone. Well, the whole thing is kinda really great, but I don't think I've laughed harder at a sight gag in a film… ever.
#3 – Fargo. Superb acting across the board, really original and fresh kind of film even today. Haven't seen it a second time though… maybe I need to.
#4 – Miller's Crossing – Utterly superb stuff. Polito and Finney are magnificent.
#5 – Burn After Reading – I really enjoyed this, for Malkovich and Pitt. And the CIA interludes with J.K. Simmons and David Rasche. It's not a great film, but it's pretty easy to watch.
#6 – Blood Simple – Impressive debut, but if they hadn't gone on to greater things it would have been forgotten.
#7 – O, Brother, Where Art Thou? – I actually didn't enjoy this one at all. I knew what they were doing, and that's cute and all, but it just got laborious after a while.
Hey there!
Don't agree with you!
10. Burn After Reading
9. Raising Arizona "Son, you gotta panty on ur head"
8. Hudsucker Proxy
7. Blood Simple
6. Miller's Crossing
5. O Brother Where Art Thou?
4. The Big Lebowski
3. No Country For Old Men
2. Fargo
1. Barton Fink
I totally disagree.
1. Fargo
2. The Big Lebowski
3. Raising Arizona
4. Barton Fink
5. No Country For Old Men
- then some.
The Hudsucker Proxy is the only one I come close to loathing, desperatly trying to be so funny with a deep message, but it´s just awful – despite the presence of Paul Newman.
I'm not gonna get into arguing rankings because I love the bros. and don't really feel it necessary. However, I will say I would take out The Man Who Wasn't There and switch in Intolerable Cruelty. I HATED T.M.W.W.T. and I know I.C. was fluff but I just thought it was a great funny movie. I thought Clooney and Richard Jenkins were great in it and Heinz, The Baron Krauss Von Espy was one of the great Coen bit parts.
Haven't seen 5 of 'em and it would be pretty hard to rank those I've seen, but number one is clearly a tie between The Big Lebowski and No Country for Old Men. Two different filmmaking styles, can't really compare them, both are masterpieces in their own way and I love them immensely.
Didn't like Ladykillers and Intolerable Cruelty was, uh, intolerable, but Burn After Reading is absolutely excellent. Fargo, Miller's Crossing and Barton Fink are pretty much on the same level to me – three great films, which I don't think I can properly rank.
Congratulations on giving The Man Who Wasn't There the praising it deserves. It's an amazing movie that only gets better on repeated viewings.
To me, Fargo and No Country For Old Men would be fighting for the #1 slot. I look at these movies as two sides of a coin. They both deal with greed, with what men will do because of money. But while Fargo believes that a (wo)man can be incorruptible, No Country… is 100% pessimistic on this.
Being a perennial optimistic person, I think Fargo wins by a very small margin. That last scene with Marge and her husband laying in bed, just saying "Two more months"… There was NEVER a more emotional moment in the entire Coens filmography. My eyes get wet just remembering it.
It hurts my heart so much to see O Brother (a movie I love very much) and Arizona ahead of No Country for Old Men.
I strongly recommend giving Burn After Reading another chance.
@Dan Tralder: @Helgi: @Marcell: @Carson Dyle: I think for me it came down to sentiment. Some people like the darker Coen work. I personally like the lighter stuff, though their lighter stuff is still not exactly light. On the right day No Country is my favorite film. But if six TVs were on, playing my top six, that's the exact order I'd become transfixed with each one.
Fascinating list, if one I'd rearrange, and sounds like you would to given the day or time. Nice to see The Man Who Wasn't There get some love, Tony Shaloub's run in that movie cracks me up every single time.
Raising Arizona for sure. The first 10 Mins before the title card flashes is some of the best cinema ever created.
Top 5 Coen Films:
1. No Country for Old Men
2. Fargo
3. The Big Lebowski
4. Bartin Fink
5. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
I actually love every single one of the Coens' films, but for me, there is No Country and Fargo, and then everything else.
Great article. Reminds me of an interesting question…where does The Big Lebowski rank amongst the biggest marketing failures of all time? Has to be close to the top, right?
No Country For Old Men is #1 on every list. Not just the best Coen Brothers film…every list! Javier Bardem has forever solidified himself in the shrine of cinema greatness with his performance in the film. and yes Josh Brolin, Javier is the "Ultimate Bad A**"
@BR: Amen, BR, Amen
I love how u put O brother at the number 1 spot. I feel like whenever people mention the recent coen films they leave that one out, but its definitely one of their best. I would personally put my top 3 at…
1. No Country for Old Men.. only because it made me look up different interpretations online for about 2 weeks.
2. Big Lebowski
3. O brother
I havent seen too many other ones but quite honestly i wasnt too into Fargo… i think its overrated and i think Burn after reading is a little underrated.
I'd say
1. No Country For Old Men
2. Fargo
3. Miller's Crossing
4. The Big Lebowski
5. Blood Simple
6. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
7. Barton Fink
8. The Ladykillers
9. The Hudsucker Proxy
10. The Man Who Wasn't There
I really hated Raising Arizona.
no country
fargo
blood simple
their top three without a doubt. lists like these truly show the development in one's taste in film.
you've shown us that you think raising arizona and o, brother are better than any of their other films. enough said.
I say that no matter in what order they come in. Love all of them:).
lebowski was my first coen movie and is still by far my favorite
I can't agree with this list. I like the high ratings of the Big Lebowski and Raising Arizona, I also liked calling the Ladykillers, Intolerable Cruelty, and Burn After Reading their, for lack of a better word, weakest films. However, I have to say that No Country For Old Men is their best movie yet. I'm not just saying this b/c of the oscar hype, it was a great all around film, one of my favorites. Also, I'd rank Barton Fink higher. It was good b/c of Turturro's timid nature. The symbolism was great and so were John Goodman and Michael Lerner.
I sense a distinct case of diharditis. The list is big on what you might call "signature" works: the ones so covered with cute Coen Brothers features you don't notice there's nothing at their centre: Brother, Lebowski, Fink. Please. The Coens can run a plot as tight as a snare drum — their woozier jam sessions need no encouraging. The Who Wasn't There should even be on the list let alone at number 4. Here's how it should run.
1. Fargo
2. Miller's Crossing
3. Raising Arizona
4. Blood Simple
5. No Country for Old Men
6. Barton Fink
7. O Brother Where Art Thou?
8. The Big Lebowksi
9. The Hudsucker Proxy
10. There is no number 10.
I've only ever seen No Country, Raising Arizona, Intolerable Cruelty, Burn After, Lebowski, O Brother and Fargo. And as it's been years since I've seen Fargo and Raising Arizona I don't feel as though I could do a proper ranking. What I will say is that I completely agree with you that O Brother Where Art Thou is the Coen's top work to date.
I completely 100% agree with O Brother being number 1 and the majority of the rest of the list but now way Burn After Reading would be an honorable mention. That movie was fantastic! I love the two feds in the very last scene. That is a movie to be watch multiple times!!!
I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I actually like The Ladykillers more than most of the other movies the Coens have done.
I have seen and like all of the Coen Brother's movies and I don't need to rate them, they're all good.
Can't believe I have never seen Lebowski. Probably because I am not much of a Jeff Bridges fan.
Right there with you on Raising Arizona – it was the first movie I showed my wife when we were first dating (20 years ago) – I knew it would last if she liked the movie – she did.
By the way, that has got to be douchiest picture of the Coen Brothers.
Just watched Miller's Crossing a couple of weeks ago for the first time. It was the first Coen Bros movie that I really didn't care much for at all. My wife felt the same way. I would definitely have Burn After Reading ranked much higher, you should definitely give it at least one more watch. My number one would probably be Fargo, with Lebowski and Arizona 2nd and 3rd. Number 4, No Country was absolutely a great movie, but not one I can watch over and over, more because of the pacing I suppose rather than the quality of the film. O Brother rounds out my top 5. I'll definitely be putting The Man Who Wasn't There on my Netflix Q, as I haven't yet seen that one. Didn't even know it existed to be honest. Thanks for the knowledge. Great list.
1. Miller's Crossing
2. No Country For Old Men
3. The Big Lebowski
4. Fargo
5. Raising Arizonia
6. Burn After Reading
7. Barton Fink
8. O' Brother
9. Blood Simple
10. The Man who wasn't there
1) Fargo
2) No Country for Old Men
3) Miller's Crossing
4) Blood Simple
5) Barton Fink
6) The Big Lebowski
7) Burn after Reading
8) The man who wasn't there
9) Raising Arizona
10) The Hudsucker Proxy
As far as No Country and Fargo are concerned, there is no arguing their status as the top 2 films in the Coens' library. Numbers 3-5 are also for-sures, any combination of Miller's, Blood Simple, and Barton. After that, opinions and personal tastes become the way of things. I had Lebowski, Burn, The man who, Raising, and Hudsucker rounding out my top 10. I'll debate and certainly listen to arguments considering nos. 6-10 and the films I omitted. I'll also banter about the order of the first five. I'm in the minority having Hudsucker on my list, but it really wasn't a close call for me. My no. 11, O Brother, is one of the few Coens' films that I felt was a strain. They were straining to live up to their own aura, their own unique comedic innovations. I was happy for its' success, of course-and now that they're finally recognized by ALL of their peers, instead of just the artists.
My favorite film by the Coens is The Hudsucker Proxy.
I still havent seen blood simple so its hard to make a fair list when there is a gap. Realised that my top 5 keep swapping. This is like trying to pick my favourite beatle album. Credit to those who can actually make a top 5 for cohen brothers.
One thing I have noticed with Coen movies, and I've seen them all, is that they might be the only guys that make movies that you have to see multiple times. Since no two films are alike, you never really know what you're in for, so on your first time through, you're chewing more than digesting this movie that you have sky high expectations. I admit that the first time I saw "Lebowski", I didn't think that I really liked it that much. Now I can easily say it's one of my all time favorites. This happened again more recently with "Burn After Reading". You've got this movie packed with Hollywood hotshots like Pitt and Clooney, guys like Malkovich and Richard Jenkins that you'd watch make soup, Frances, and it didn't seem to go down right the first time. Actually felt massively wrong at first. But I've seen it a few more times since it's been on cable, and I love it now. I can't think of any other directors/producers that continuously make flicks that have that effect on me.