Joel and Ethan Coen are phenomenal filmmakers. At their best, they make some of the best movies ever (Fargo, No Country For Old Men, Miller’s Crossing, O Brother Where Art Thou, The Big Lebowski). And even when they are not at their peak, their films are still better than most (The Ladykillers, Intolerable Cruelty).
Barton Fink is one of my favorite films from the brothers Coen. I rank it up there with The Big Lebowski and O Brother, which is very high praise. Luckily we have two cast members that are featured in a three of these films. John Turturro and John Goodman are superb here. I think it is Turturro’s best role (yes, even better than the Jesus). He stars as Barton Fink, a struggling screenwriter who desperately wants to write something that will connect with people but is suffering from sever writer’s block. And I believe that Goodman is always his best under the guidance of the Coen brothers (I can’t say it is Goodman’s best role – that will forever be his role in Lebowski). Here he plays the overly friendly neighbor of Fink. He seems to be hiding omething behind that ultra-cheery facade. And he is.
This is a great story with great performances. I highly recommend this film as I would any Coen brother film (well, maybe not Ladykillers).
[...] 8, 2008 by Chris As I said recently, I love the Coen brothers. They have made so many fantastic movies it’s hard to pick a favorite (ok, not that [...]