Oh Brother, Where Art Thou (2000)

The Coen brothers are film-makers who's oeuvre I have grown to appreciate in time, a progression not as immediate as some, who profess as genius every move that they make, but enough that I now anticipate each of their films safe in the knowledge that it will be a unique and memorable experience. AS far as this line of thinking goes, O Brother fits perfectly into this category, it is unmistakably Coens and at the same time a true original.

A rough re-telling of Homer's Odyssey set in the deep south during the 1930s depression, the film follows three chain-gang escapees as they attempt to locate a great treasure, whilst escaping the law. Naturally it gets a lot more complicated than that, and the episodic nature of the story, which essentially boils down to a very bizzare road trip, allows for a diverse range of situations and characters. The main trio, played brilliantly by George Clooney (as the hair-wax obsessed, scheming Everett), John Turturro (in typical wide eyed, but sympathetic mode as Pete) and Tim Blake Nelson (who almost steals the show as the dim but good natured Delmar) have a fantastic dynamic and all three show a strong capacity for comedy of the most unusual kind. George Clooney in particular is obviously having a lot of fun the role as the vapid but eternally enthusiastic leader of the group. Along their journey the group encounter all sorts of characters, from John Goodman's cycloptic Bible salesman, to blind radio DJs, warring senators and KKK meetings (naturally). What holds all these disparate threads together is the perfect blend of tone that the Coens manage throughout the film, funny when it needs to be but also touching and deep there is always more going on under the surface both in the characters and the overarching narrative of the story.

The ending really compounds the fable like nature of much the film, devolving almost completely into fantasy, but again it feels earned and entirely in keeping with what has gone before. As usual the film is immaculately constructed, Roger Deakin's cinematography is frequently stunning, the heavily affecting colour palette of the film gives it a sun-baked and antiquated look that never feels overbearing. It would also be remiss to talk about the film without mentioning the superb music and score, which do much of the work effortlessly capturing the mood and style of the film throughout.

Overall O Brother isn't the Coens most important film, or their deepest, but it is one of their most purely enjoyable. Those who have remained unswayed by the brothers over the years will find little here to change their minds, but for those yet to dip their feet in the stream this is as good a starting point as any.