Movie: The Ladykillers
Directed by Joel Coen; Written by Joel and Ethan Coen
Starring Tom Hanks, Marlon Wayans (Touchstone Universal)
Reviewed by Rusty Pipes

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I'll go to see anything the Coen Bothers are involved in and their latest effort, The Ladykillers, shows again why I love their work. Like their earlier work, this movie has an original story with fine performances, all delivered with a wry humor that the brothers have completely mastered.

Many major stars have worked with the Coens and this is their first collaboration with one of the biggest, Tom Hanks. Tom of course is no stranger to comedy but he outdoes himself as Professor Goldthwait Higginson Dorr, a Southern sweet-talker who can quote the Bible as easily as he orders a crew of misfit criminals to steal the winnings of a Mississippi gambling boat. The other members of his gang include Marlon Wayans as the inside man, a trash-talkin' janitor on the boat, Ryan Hurst as Lump who provides the muscle, Tzi Ma as The General and J.K. Simmons as Garth Pancake, the explosives expert. They can't compete with Irma P. Hall though. She plays the good-hearted but no-nonsense-accepted Mrs. Munson, the lady who owns the house they tunnel from.

"Tunnel to a boat?" you ask? It's kind of hard to explain. This is basically a criminal-caper-gone-awry-comedy and the Professor has a plan to break into their vault and needs the talents of four others to do it so he convinces Mrs. Munson that they are all classical musicians and... oh heck, don't ask, just see the movie. Let me tell you though that all this great acting and plotting is accompanied by terrific gospel music and the film's soundtrack damn near eclipses "O Brother Where Art Thou" in bringing another shining example of Southern music to the screen.

Raising Arizona, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Intolerable Cruelty and now The Ladykillers. If that isn't proof that when you're watching a Joel and Ethan Coen movie you're in good hands, then I don't know what is.

The Skinny:
Am I glad I saw the film? Sweet Jesus, I believe I did.
Would I go to see it again? Hey it's the Coens! Of course I will.

© 2004 - Rusty Pipes