For almost 40 years,Joel CoenandEthan Coen– better known as the Coen Brothers – have created a number of quirky, singular titles spanning a variety of genres. They’ve also become industry and academy favorites, picking up four Oscar wins for writing, directing and producing. Celebrate this dynamic duo by taking a look back at all 18 of their films together, ranked worst to best.
The Coens made their feature debut with the Southwestern neo-noir “Blood Simple” (1984). Shot on a shoestring budget with a then largely unknown cast (including Joel’s future wife,Frances McDormand), the film established the brothers’ talent for visually striking, wholly original stories.
They followed their breakout hit with a series of increasingly ambitious, wildly different features: the wacky Southern farce “Raising Arizona” (1987), the moody gangster saga “Millers Crossing” (1990), the bizarre Hollywood satire “Barton Fink” (1991), and the nostalgic screwball comedy “The Hudsucker Proxy” (1994).
It wasn’t until “Fargo” (1996), a comedic thriller about a pregnant police officer (McDormand) investigating a murder-kidnapping gone awry in Minnesota, that the brothers first came to the attention of Oscar voters. The film brought them their first victory in Best Original Screenplay, plus a Best Actress prize for McDormand. Additionally, the Coens competed in Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Film Editing (under the pseudonym Roderick Jaynes).
It took another 11 years for the brothers to hit the Oscar jackpot, this time with the violent cat-and-mouse thriller “No Country for Old Men” (2007). The duo took home prizes for writing, directing, and producing the film.
The Academy has nominated the Coens nine additional times throughout their career: Best Adapted Screenplay for “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” (2000); Best Film Editing for “No Country for Old Men” (2007); Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay for “A Serious Man” (2009); Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay for “True Grit” (2010); Best Original Screenplay for “Bridge of Spies” (2016); and Best Adapted Screenplay for “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” (2018).
Tour our photo gallery of all 18 Coen Brothers films, and see where your favorite ranks. BTW, we did not include “The Tragedy of Macbeth” or “Drive-Away Dolls” since both were not involved.
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18. THE LADYKILLERS (2004)
Image Credit: Touchstone/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Screenplay by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, based on an earlier script by William Rose. Starring Tom Hanks, Irma P. Hall, Marlon Wayans, J. K. Simmons, Tzi Ma, Ryan Hurst, Blake Clark, Aldis Hodge, Freda Foh Shen, Jeremy Suarez.
In remaking the 1955 Ealing Studios comedy “The Ladykillers,” the Coens opt for broad laughs over the much subtler humor of theAlec Guinnessoriginal. The results, unfortunately, aren’t that amusing.Tom Hankstakes over the Guinness role of a charming huckster who moves in with a trusting old woman (Irma P. Hall) so that he and his gang of misfit criminals can rob a casino by building a tunnel in the basement. The characters are as close to live action cartoons as you can possibly imagine, all except for Hall, who’s given some degree of common sense as a church-going widower. A few uplifting gospel moments can’t bring this turkey to salvation.
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17. INTOLERABLE CRUELTY (2003)
Image Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon/Imagine Ent/Alphaville/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Screenplay by Robert Ramsey, Matthew Stone, Joel Coen, and Ethan Coen, story by John Romano, Ramsey, and Stone. Starring George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Geoffrey Rush, Cedric the Entertainer, Edward Herrmann, Paul Adelstein, Richard Jenkins, Billy Bob Thornton.
The Coens always feel at a distance from “Intolerable Cruelty,” and that’s understandable: the duo was originally hired to do a script polish to help sell the film to other directors. It eventually found its way back to them, resulting in an odd for-hire work that has a lot of their quirk, but little of their heart.George Clooneyplays a shrewd Beverly Hills divorce lawyer who falls under the spell of an alluring gold digger (Catherine Zeta-Jones) intent on taking her latest husband (Edward Herrmann) to the cleaners. Clooney and Zeta-Jones have a palpable chemistry, but try as they might, the brothers can’t seem to twist themselves into the mainstream.
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16. HAIL, CAESAR! (2016)
Image Credit: Universal/Working Title/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Starring Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum.
The Coens are nothing if not cinephiles, and “Hail, Caesar!” is a meticulous love letter to the Hollywood of yore.Josh Brolinstars as Eddie Mannix, a 1950s studio fixer who keeps scandals swept tightly under the rug. He’s got his hands full with a kidnapped superstar (George Clooney), a pregnant ingenue (Scarlett Johansson), and a B-movie western actor (Alden Ehrenreich) trying to join the A-list with a romantic lead in a costume drama from a self-styled auteur (Ralph Fiennes).Channing Tatum’s discreetly homoerotic dance number “No Dames,” featuring a chorus line of musical sailors, is a highlight.
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15. TRUE GRIT (2010)
Image Credit: Lorey Sebastian/Skydance Productions/REX/Shutterstock Screenplay by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, based on the novel by Charles Portis. Starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper, Hailee Steinfeld.
“True Grit” is perhaps the most straightforward film the Coens have ever made, an old fashioned remake of a creakyJohn Waynewestern that turned into a box office bonanza.Jeff Bridgestakes on the Wayne role of grizzled U.S. Marshall Rooster Cogburn, who’s enlisted by a plucky young girl (Hailee Steinfeld) to track down her father’s murderer (Josh Brolin).Roger Deakins’ cinematography andCarter Burwell’s score keep things simple and majestic. The film earned 10 Oscar bids, including Picture, Director, and Adapted Screenplay for the Coens, plus Actor (Bridges) and Supporting Actress (Steinfeld), yet went home empty-handed.
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14. THE HUDSUCKER PROXY (1994)
Image Credit: James Bridges/Polygram/Warners/Silver/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, and Sam Raimi. Starring Tim Robbins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Paul Newman, Jim True, Bill Cobbs, Harry Bugin, Bruce Campbell, John Mahoney, Charles Durning, Patrick Cranshaw, Anna Nicole Smith, Steve Buscemi, Sam Raimi, Jon Polito, John Goodman.
“The Hudsucker Proxy” is one of those movies you love in spite of itself. On the one hand, this farce about a gullible mailroom clerk (Tim Robbins) who’s installed as president of a marketing company as part of a stock scam is a treat for the eyes, withDennis Gassner’s art direction meticulously recreating the look and feel of 1930s screwball comedies. On the other hand, it’s all style and no substance, centered on archetypes instead of fully realized characters. Still, the performances are spot-on, includingPaul Newmanas the evil power behind the throne andJennifer Jason Leighas a fast-talking reporter, and there’s more than a few belly laughs.
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13. BURN AFTER READING (2008)
Image Credit: Working Title/Studio Canal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Starring George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, Brad Pitt, Elizabeth Marvel, David Rasche, J. K. Simmons, Olek Krupa.
The Coens followed up their Oscar-winning “No Country for Old Men” with another whimsical trip down the rabbit hole. The plot of “Burn After Reading” twists and turns itself into a pretzel, more or less revolving around a floppy disc with sensitive information that ends up in the hands of two clueless gym employees (Frances McDormandandBrad Pitt), much to the ire of an ex-CIA agent (John Malkovich), his wife (Tilda Swinton), and her lover (George Clooney). While working as a straight-up farce (thanks in large part to Pitt’s goofy performance), the film is also a surprisingly poignant reflection on aging, love, and mortality.
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12. THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS (2018)
Image Credit: Netflix Written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Starring Tyne Daly, James Franco, Brendan Gleeson, Bill Heck, Grainger Hines, Zoe Kazan, Harry Melling, Liam Neeson, Tim Blake Nelson, Jonjo O’Neill, Chelcie Ross, Saul Rubinek, Tom Waits.
Originally announced as a limited series, “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” turned out to be an anthology film comprised of six western stories. The vignettes veer wildly in tone, from the loopy farce ofTim Blake Nelsonas a singing, dancing, murdering cowboy, to the bleak austerity ofLiam Neesonas a traveling impresario who forces an armless, legless artist (Harry Melling) to recite Shakespeare for pennies. Though distinctly different in mood, length, and style, each story deals in its own way with non-accidental death, an inescapable fact of the wild west and the Coens overall oeuvre. The film brought the brothers yet another Oscar nomination for screenwriting, earning additional bids for its costumes and original song (Gilliam Welch‘s “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” ).
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11. THE MAN WHO WASN’T THERE (2001)
Image Credit: Working Title/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, Michael Badalucco, Richard Jenkins, Scarlett Johansson, Jon Polito, Tony Shalhoub, James Gandolfini.
“The Man Who Wasn’t There” is such an exquisite tribute to 1940s noir that it’s easy to overlook its own virtues. Taking inspiration fromJames M. Cain,the film starsBilly Bob Thorntonas a laconic barber in small town Northern California, whose passive lifestyle is interrupted when his wife (Frances McDormand) starts cheating on him with her boss (James Gandolfini). He blackmails the man for money to start a business, but his plan goes horribly awry.Roger Deakinsearned an Oscar nomination for his sleek, velvety black-and-white cinematography.Tony Shalhoubis a standout as the barber’s fast-talking attorney.
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10. A SERIOUS MAN (2009)
Image Credit: Mike Zoss Prods/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Starring Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed, Sari Lennick, Adam Arkin, Amy Landecker.
With “A Serious Man,” the Coens returned to their indie roots for a seriously dark and surprisngly personal comedy about man’s plight against the world.Michael Stuhlbargplays Larry Gopnik, a Midwestern academic in the 1960s whose life unravels when his wife (Sari Lennick) leaves him for another man (Fred Melamed). Like Job before him, Larry is faced with one indignity after another, including threats to his tenure, blackmail, a lazy brother (Richard Kind), a horny neighbor (Amy Landecker), and a mysterious ailment. Can he rise above it? The film brought the brothers Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.
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9. MILLER’S CROSSING (1990)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Starring Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, John Turturro, Jon Polito, J. E. Freeman, Albert Finney.
“Miller’s Crossing” is one of those movies so high on style you can almost drink the visuals.Barry Sonnenfeld’s moody cinematography,Dennis Gassner’s lavish production design, andRichard Hornung’s plush costumes create such an effective evocation of Prohibition-era America that you can almost overlook flaws in the circuitous script.Albert Finneystars as an Irish crime boss whose right-hand man (Gabriel Byrne) falls in love with his girl (Marcia Gay Harden) during a war with a rival Italian gang.John Turturrois a standout as Harden’s brother, a bookie who runs afoul of the mobsters and must beg for his life in the film’s best scene.
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8. INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (2013)
Image Credit: Scott Rudin Prods/Stdiocanal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Starring Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, John Goodman, F. Murray Abraham, Justin Timberlake.
“Inside Llewyn Davis” is one of those rare Coen concoctions that’s equal parts comedy and tragedy, and works beautifully on both levels.Oscar Issacstars as the titular folk singer, who struggles to keep afloat in 1961 Greenwich Village. Like many of their films, “Llewyn Davis” is a hero’s journey through the odd and frustrating, with a protagonist possessed with a rare gift for shooting himself in the foot. It’s also a melancholy meditation on the exasperations of following a dream you’re not quite talented enough to achieve.Bruno Delbonnelscored an Oscar bid for his cold, gray cinematography, and the film was also recognized for its sound mixing.
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7. RAISING ARIZONA (1987)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Starring Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, John Goodman, Trey Wilson, William Forsythe, Sam McMurray, Frances McDormand, Randall “Tex” Cobb.
Not to be boxed in, the Coen Brothers followed up the Southwestern noir “Blood Simple” with this whacky comedy about a former police officer (Holly Hunter) who marries an ex-convict (Nicolas Cage). Devastated to learn they can’t have children, they decide to steal one from a wealthy local businessman (Trey Wilson) whose wife gives birth to quintuplets. Their perfect family is disrupted by a pair of escaped convicts (John GoodmanandWilliam Forsythe) and a hellion on wheels (Randall “Tex” Cobb). “Raising Arizona” proved the duo could tickle our funny bone, careening at breakneck speed from one hilarious set piece to the next.
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6. O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? (2000)
Image Credit: Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock Written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, based on “The Odyssey” by Homer. Starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Charles Durning, Michael Badalucco, Holly Hunter.
Taking its inspiration fromHomerandPreston Sturges,“O Brother, Where Art Thou?” is one of the silliest creations yet by the Coens. The film centers on three escaped convicts (George Clooney,John Turturro,Tim Blake Nelson) on a quest for hidden treasure in the Depression-era South. They encounter several colorful characters – includingMichael Badaluccoas bank robberGeorge “Baby Face” NelsonandJohn Goodmanas a violent Bible salesman – and manage to play a little bluegrass along the way. The Coens earned an Oscar nomination for penning this adaptation of “The Odyssey” (which they’ve apparently never read).
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5. BARTON FINK (1991)
Image Credit: Circle/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Starring John Turturro, John Goodman, Judy Davis, Michael Lerner, John Mahoney, Jon Polito.
“Barton Fink” is part Hollywood satire, part mystery comedy, and all apocalyptic nightmare. When an acclaimed playwright (John Turturro) is drafted from Broadway to write a boxing movie, he finds California to be more hellish than he ever imagined. While living in an aged motel he meets Charlie Meadows (John Goodman), a working-class salesman who isn’t all he appears to be. The film swept the 1991 Cannes Film Festival, winning Best Director, Best Actor for Turturro, and the Palme d’Or. Oscar voters took notice as well, showering it with three bids including Best Supporting Actor forMichael Lerneras a bombastic studio head.
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4. BLOOD SIMPLE (1984)
Image Credit: River Road Prods/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Starring John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, Samm-Art Williams, M. Emmet Walsh.
The Coens made their feature debut with this twisting, violent, darkly comic thriller. “Blood Simple” centers on a sleazy Texas bar owner (Dan Hedaya) who hires an even sleazier private detective (M. Emmet Walsh) to murder his cheating wife (Frances McDormand) and her new lover (John Getz). Unfortunately for all involved, nothing is that simple. In their first film, the directors have style to burn, making the most of their shoestring budget. Critics took notice, as did the Independent Spirits, which handed it prizes for Best Director and Best Actor (Walsh), plus nominations for Best Film, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography (Barry Sonnenfeld).
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3. THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998)
Image Credit: Polygram/Working Title/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, David Huddleston, John Turturro, Tara Reid, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Elliott, Ben Gazzara, David Thewlis, Peter Stormare.
To try and describe the plot of this hallucinatory Coen Brothers comedy would prove an exercise in futility. It all starts when The Dude (Jeff Bridges), a rambling, shambling stoner who spends his days bowling with his pals (John GoodmanandSteve Buscemi) and drinking White Russians, is mistaken for a wealthy big wig known as The Big Lebowski (David Huddleston). This sets off a disjointed chain of events involving kidnapping, modern art, pornography, nihilists, and the Vietnam war. A sort ofRaymond Chandlermystery for flower children, this one is all about attitude and good vibes, which the Dude abides.
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2. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007)
Image Credit: Paramount/Miramax/REX/Shutterstock Screenplay by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald, Garrett Dillahunt, Tess Harper, Barry Corbin, Stephen Root, Rodger Boyce, Beth Grant.
The Coens hit the Oscar jackpot with this blood-soaked, tightly-wound thriller. Based on the novel byCormac McCarthy,“No Country for Old Men” centers on a Vietnam veteran (Josh Brolin) who’s pursued by an eccentric, violent mercenary (Javier Bardem) after he runs off with $2 million in cash from a drug deal gone wrong. It’s up to a small town Texas sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) to save him before it’s too late. More than just an effective cat-and-mouse chase, the film is also a haunting meditation on good and evil. The Academy showered it with trophies for the Coens in Picture, Director, and Screenplay, plus Supporting Actor for Bardem.
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1. FARGO (1996)
Image Credit: Michael Tackett/Working Title/Polygram/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Starring Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, Harve Presnell, John Carroll Lynch.
You betcha “Fargo” is the shining jewel in the Coen Brothers’ crown. What starts off as a quirky, violent thriller about a hapless car salesman (William H. Macy) who hires a pair of criminals (Steve BuscemiandPeter Stormare) to kidnap his wife turns into a surprisingly poignant morality play thanks toFrances McDormand’s Oscar-winning performance as the whip-smart, pregnant police chief investigating the case. The brothers mine a lot of laughs by subverting the inane niceties of their Minnesota hometown. In addition to McDormand’s victory, the film also brought the Coens a win for screenwriting and nominations in Picture (Ethan), Director (Joel), and Film Editing (as Roderick Jaynes).
Love Coen brothers movies
There is no worst. Simple…… although I’ve yet to see Ballad of…..
Inside Llewyn Davis and A Serious Man should be in the top 5 with Fargo, No Country for Old Men, and Big Lebowski. Burn After Reading should be right on their heels simply for being the most gleefully nihilistic movie ever made.
Miller’s Crossing should be no lower than #3. Best plot, stunning cinematography, witty banter, and killer performances. If you don’t rank it higher than #5, you need to watch it again and again until you understand it better, and appreciate it for the brilliance it contains..
Their work is the a cumulative experience of the human condition and it spans historical periods, genres, and most of all the range and extreme depths of human emotion. To not like the Coen brothers films is to absolutely hate humanity itself.
Miller’s Crossing should be Top 3. Best plot, stunning cinematography, witty banter, and killer performances. If you don’t rank it higher than #5, you need to watch it again and again until you understand it better, and appreciate it for the brilliance it contains..
nearly all, if not all, of these movies, like great art, represent many dimensions of our humanity vs the lack thereof and the absurd,reflected back to the viewer.