The Coen Formula

CONSUMER WARNING: This article features heavy references to the back catalogue of Joel and Ethan Coen, including a number of considerable spoilers. Previous knowledge is not required, but may help.

‘The Greatest Filmmakers on the Planet’ – The Sunday Times. Not a bad endorsement of your latest film. But, at the same time, not an unbefitting, nor unearned, moniker for two siblings who have changed modern cinema, and redefined the very idea of genres. You might have guessed that I am somewhat in awe of the Coen Brothers (Joel and Ethan by name), having been brought up on a tasty diet of their fine film collection, indeed fuelling what I might now, not without reason, call a love for these directors. A Coen Brothers film is like no other: it cannot be defined by genre or plot, nor indeed by the actors it boasts (though this is certainly a strong element of their recipe). It is, however, a genre in itself, a very unique breed of film making which shows the extent of imagination, and the very detail it takes to make a masterpiece (or several in their case). Here I present to you, in very humble terms, what I perceive to be the ‘Coen Formula’ ©, a winning recipe for filmmakers and actors alike.

The Lovable Loser

No one delights in the misery of individuals like the Coen Brothers. What perhaps is so marvellous about their films is they often combine the furthest extremes of tragedy and comedy simultaneously, focusing essentially on the downturn of events for one particularly unlucky individual. Larry Gopnik in A Serious Man is abandoned by his wife and left with two most obnoxious kids, threatened with losing his job, and landed with some grave news regarding his health. Jerry Lundegaard’s plan in Fargo, to orchestrate the kidnapping of his own family backfires with damning results, a fate perhaps fitting for this more despicable of the bunch. Poor old Llewellyn Moss in No Country for Old Men can’t stumble upon a couple million dollars in peace: no sooner does he find said briefcase is he pursued by a hell bent serial killer armed with a cattle gun (but more on him later). Worst of all, meanwhile, is the Coens’ most famous creation The Dude in The Big Lebowski, who undergoes all manner of mishaps, culminating in a piss-related rug incident. Poor guys.

The Simple Sidekick

Accompanying the tragic protagonist is the so-called ‘simple sidekick’, a term used generally here to apply to the noticeable supply of simpletons who play a supporting role in the films. Their job is to generally provide the more obvious comic relief, relieving the tragic circumstance of the ‘loveable loser’ with their naïve views of the occurrences, and occasionally a less than desirable demise. The Dude is nothing without his Donny, played beautifully by the fantastic Steve Buscemi, delivering some of the films most subtle but hilarious lines. Brad Pitt puts in an all time best performance as an over-enthusiastic gym monkey in Burn After Reading, whose naivety brings the laughs, but also a considerable moment of shock. O Brother Where Art Thou offers two for the price of one in Pete and Delmar, two-thirds of the Soggy Bottom Boys, whose light-headed, numb-skulled antics suitable entertain and frustrate in equal measure.

The Scene-stealing Badass (aka The John Goodman)

No drama would be complete without a fitting antagonist to the surreal atmosphere of a Coen Brothers film. The naivety and tragedy of the main characters are distinctly disturbed by the presence of a larger than life figure, a role highly coveted in the acting community, whose job it is to stir events into chaos, and give the protagonists a reason to fear for their lives. This might also be called The John Goodman, on the grounds that Coen-favourite plays this role in a number of their films, with particular glee. Personal Goodman favourites include his everyman-turned-psychopath Charlie Meadows in Barton Fink, Big Dan Teague in O Brother Where Art Thou, a sizable one-eyed businessman with a greed for money, and most recently as a witty cynical jazz musician in Inside Llewyn Davis. Jon Polito’s Johnny Caspar maniacally chews up the scenery in Miller’s Crossing, John Malkovich goes axe mad in Burn After Reading, while Javier Bardem’s Oscar-winning bowl-cut in No County for Old Men finds him as Angel of Death personified Anton Chigurh, a badass with a penchant for killing and coin tossing.

That Oh-so-Fitting Soundtrack

A film is nothing without its soundtrack, and the Coens have tailor made a series of outstanding themes to suit their stunning cinematography and intriguing films. Long time collaborator T-Bone Burnett (ex-session musician who played with the likes of Dylan) has produced some of the Coen’s finest works. 

The sweet Southern folk of O Brother Where Art Thou saw a boom in acoustic musicInside Llewyn Davis, here featuring the likes of Marcus Mumford and leading man Oscar Isaac, as well as some contemporary classics from Dave van Ronk and Dylan himself. Other highlights include the ringing out of ‘Oh Danny Boy’ as Albert Finney’s Mafioso goes on a rampage in Miller’s Crossing, and indeed the full version of Kenny Rogers’ ‘Just Dropped In’ during the surreal Gutterballs dream sequence in The Big Lebowski.

popularity, marvellously accompanying the more light-hearted themes of the Coens’ homage to Homer. A fitting soundtrack to a film all about the folk scene of the 60s has been produced for

The Open Ending (REAL SPOILERS HERE)

Never one to round off a film traditionally, the Coen Brothers have a habit of leaving us wanting more, for good and for bad. None of this happy ending nonsense, one can expect to be left some what shocked by a characteristically abrupt or open ending. Where one director may follow said sequence with an explanation of sorts, the Coens always have the last laugh, leaving us with an ending which even they may not understand. No Country for Old Men ends with us not knowing who has and hasn’t died, in a beautiful single take of Bardem leaving Moss’ house. A Serious Man gets better then gets worse at the very end, as the threat of an impending hurricane suddenly gets very real. Burn After Reading ends meanwhile with JK Simmons CIA Officer about as dumbfound as the viewer, with the marvellously scripted final words ‘What did we learn?’ ‘I don’t know, I guess we learnt not to do it again.’ Genius.

Obviously, to write about all merits of the Coen Brother’s films would require a book, a feat I in all mind will hope to attempt one day. A couple hundred words can’t do justice to the detailed minutiae of their films, but hopefully has given this reader a desire to go out and watch/rewatch/watch to death their films. Enjoy.

Quick Top 5: Must-see Coen films

5. A Serious Man – The Coens’ take on the Book of Job as one unfortunate individual has a spate of bad luck and Jewish guilt in equal measure.

4. No Country for Old Men – Their only Oscar-winner to date, a thrilling chase involving a stash of money, a vicious serial killer, and an outdated pursuing sheriff.

3. O Brother Where Art Thou? – Homer’s Odyssey gets transferred to Prohibition era Mississippi, featuring extensive scenes of folk and country western.

2. Fargo – Proof that a lot can go on in the middle of nowhere, as a failed car salesman tries to cash in on kidnapping his own wife.

1. The Big Lebowski – The Brother’s masterpiece, an almost nonsensical tale of one Dude’s mission to take it easy, and the rest of the world’s attempt to make that difficult for him.