# The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)

> A taciturn 1949 barber’s bid for reinvention through blackmail and investment turns into a monochrome descent through adultery, murder, and existential absurdity.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/movie/5831

## Facts

- Runtime: 116 min
- Genres: Crime, Drama
- Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
- Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, Michael Badalucco, James Gandolfini, Katherine Borowitz, Jon Polito, Scarlett Johansson, Richard Jenkins
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0243133/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Mood: melancholic, deadpan, fatalistic, late night cinephile viewing, rainy day

## Synopsis

A barber's life spirals into chaos as he grapples with infidelity and blackmail in post-war California.

## Movies like The Man Who Wasn't There

- [Cut Bank (2014)](https://ember.film/movie/163767)
- [Staten Island (2009)](https://ember.film/movie/15420)
- [The Ice Harvest (2005)](https://ember.film/movie/4367)
- [Edmond (2006)](https://ember.film/movie/10939)
- [Fargo (1996)](https://ember.film/movie/233)
- [One False Move (1992)](https://ember.film/movie/12716)
- [A Simple Plan (1998)](https://ember.film/movie/5331)
- [Blood Simple (1985)](https://ember.film/movie/6351)
- [The Last Seduction (1994)](https://ember.film/movie/14984)
- [Miller's Crossing (1990)](https://ember.film/movie/305)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt