(Photo by Buena Vista/courtesy Everett Collection)
Since their 1984 neo-noir debut Blood Simple, brother directors Joel and Ethan Coen have danced amok across American cinema with mordant tales of wayward souls and their crimes and misdemeanors. Among their achievements include making a generation-defining comedy (The Big Lebowski), revitalizing the Western (True Grit), and winning Best Picture (No Country For Old Men). They even brought back bluegrass, achieved through cultural Trojan horse O Brother, Where Are Thou?.
Recently, the brothers have struck out on their own, with Joel adapting known Scottish play into The Tragedy of Macbeth, and Ethan making his solo debut with the twisty lesbian anthem Drive-Away Dolls.
#1
Adjusted Score: 106423%
Critics Consensus: Girded by strong performances from Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, and lifted by some of the Coens’ most finely tuned, unaffected work, True Grit is a worthy companion to the Charles Portis book.
#2
Adjusted Score: 104208%
Critics Consensus: Brutally violent and shockingly funny in equal measure, Blood Simple offers early evidence of the Coen brothers’ twisted sensibilities and filmmaking ingenuity.
#3
Adjusted Score: 101559%
Critics Consensus: Violent, quirky, and darkly funny, Fargo delivers an original crime story and a wonderful performance by McDormand.
#4
Adjusted Score: 104835%
Critics Consensus: Bolstered by powerful lead performances from Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Tommy Lee Jones, No Country for Old Men finds the Coen brothers spinning cinematic gold out of Cormac McCarthy’s grim, darkly funny novel.
#5
Adjusted Score: 98568%
Critics Consensus: Though possibly more notable for its distinctive style than an airtight story, this Coen brothers take on the classic gangster flick features sharp dialogue, impressive cinematography, and a typically quirky cast of characters.
#6
Adjusted Score: 105582%
Critics Consensus: Smart, funny, and profoundly melancholy, Inside Llewyn Davis finds the Coen brothers in fine form.
#7
Adjusted Score: 106134%
Critics Consensus: Led by a stellar Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth strips the classic story down to its visual and narrative essentials.
#8
Adjusted Score: 96825%
Critics Consensus: A terrifically original, eccentric screwball comedy, Raising Arizona may not be the Coens’ most disciplined movie, but it’s one of their most purely entertaining.
#9
Adjusted Score: 95610%
Critics Consensus: Twisty and unsettling, the Coen brothers’ satirical tale of a 1940s playwright struggling with writer’s block is packed with their trademark sense of humor and terrific performances from its cast.
#10
Adjusted Score: 101797%
Critics Consensus: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs avoids anthology pitfalls with a consistent collection tied together by the Coen brothers’ signature blend of dark drama and black humor.
#11
Adjusted Score: 97905%
Critics Consensus: Blending dark humor with profoundly personal themes, the Coen brothers deliver what might be their most mature — if not their best — film to date.
#12
Adjusted Score: 103492%
Critics Consensus: Packed with period detail and perfectly cast, Hail, Caesar! finds the Coen brothers delivering an agreeably lightweight love letter to post-war Hollywood.
#13
Adjusted Score: 86571%
Critics Consensus: Stylish but emotionally distant, The Man Who Wasn’t There is a clever tribute to the film noir genre.
#14
Adjusted Score: 92258%
Critics Consensus: The Big Lebowski‘s shaggy dog story won’t satisfy everybody, but those who abide will be treated to a rambling succession of comic delights, with Jeff Bridges’ laconic performance really tying the movie together.
#15
Adjusted Score: 88084%
Critics Consensus: With Burn After Reading, the Coen Brothers have crafted another clever comedy/thriller with an outlandish plot and memorable characters.
#16
Adjusted Score: 84144%
Critics Consensus: Though not as good as Coen brothers’ classics such as Blood Simple, the delightfully loopy O Brother, Where Art Thou? is still a lot of fun.
#17
Adjusted Score: 82412%
Critics Consensus: Though more mainstream than other Coen films, there are still funny oddball touches, and Clooney and Zeta-Jones sizzle like old-time movie stars.
#18
Adjusted Score: 76429%
Critics Consensus: The appealing odd-couple chemistry between Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan helps Drive-Away Dolls power past its overly familiar screenplay and erratic execution.
#19
Adjusted Score: 65281%
Critics Consensus: Intriguingly strange and visually distinctive, The Hudsucker Proxy is ultimately almost — but not quite — as smart and absorbing as it needs to be.
#20
Adjusted Score: 60116%
Critics Consensus: Hanks’ performance in the lead role is inspired, but this is a relatively minor offering from the Coen brothers.