The Coen brothers haven’t made a movie together since 2018, which is an out-and-out tragedy. The pair is responsible for some of the best movies in the history of American cinema. WithHoney Don’t!hitting theaters now (the second movie Ethan has directed without Joel), it’s worth looking back at all the movies the two of them made together.
More specifically, we wanted to highlight a few of the Coens’ movies that don’t always get the attention they deserve. These movies aren’tFargo, but they’re pretty great in their own right.
Hail, Caesar! (2016)
TheCoensdon’t get nearly the respect they deserve when they make unconventional comedies, which is part of the reasonHail, Caesar!was not appreciated the way it should have been.
Set in the early 1950s,Hail Caesar!follows Eddie Mannix, a fixer working for the fictional Capitol Pictures, who is forced to solve all manner of problems related to the studio and its stars. The biggest problem turns out to be a kidnapping plot involving one of the studio’s biggest names. Mannix will have to unravel this mystery before things get out of hand.
You can rentHail, Caesar!on Amazon Prime Video.
Barton Fink (1991)
To the diehards,Barton Finkisn’t underrated. But if you’re a more casual movie fan, this might seem like one of the duo’s least accessible films, and understandably so. The movie tells the story of a playwright who moves to Los Angeles to write for the pictures, only to find himself descending into some version of hell (maybe literally, maybe not).
Ostensibly about writers’ block,Barton Finkis also a movie about the particular nature of life in Hollywood, where creativity and ideas are turned into products, and all the artists can do is try their best.
You can rentBarton Finkon Amazon Prime Video.
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
Coming just beforeFargoconfirmed forever that the Coens were directors we should take seriously,The Hudsucker Proxywas the perfect explanation of why some critics were skeptical of them. It’s an unusual comedy that calls back to the films of directors like Preston Sturges and Ernst Lubitsch.
The Hudsucker Proxywas their biggest budget at the time and also a bit of a flop. Today, it’s clear thatThe Hudsucker Proxyis one of the funniest films ever made, filled with perfect jokes, even if its story of one man’s rise and fall in business is a little clichéd. “You know, for kids?”
You can watchThe Hudsucker Proxyon Tubi.
The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)
One of the most under-discussed movies of their career,The Man Who Wasn’t Thereis a fairly straightforward noir story set in the 1940s in a small northern California town. StarringBilly Bob Thorntonas unhappy barber Ed Crane, the film follows Crane as he executes a blackmail scheme after discovering that his wife is cheating on him.
As is often the case with the Coens’ movies, things don’t go exactly as planned. Highly stylish and a little depressing,The Man Who Wasn’t Theredeserves more attention than it received.
You can rentThe Man Who Wasn’t Thereon Amazon Prime Video.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
The last movie the Coens made together was also the first one they ever made for a streaming service.The Ballad of Buster Scruggsis unlike any other movie the brothers ever made because it’s ananthology filmtold in six distinct chapters, each of which has its own story and characters.
What that naturally means is that some chapters might be more appealing to you than others. On the whole,Buster Scruggsis a portrait of the brutality of the Old West, and its variety is a reminder of the Coens’ originality.
