10 Best Black-And-White Movies From The Last 25 Years

4. The Man Who Wasn't There

It would be weird if the Coen brothers hadn't made a black-and-white film. Right? The directing duo whose motto seems to be "worse things should happen" have a singular vision that typically involves quirky character studies and comically horrific happenings. The black-and-white format lends itself superbly to that vision. If there's one thing the Coen brothers do extremely well, it's putting their characters through the ringer. No one in a Coen brothers movie remains unaffected by the time the closing credits role. But if there's two things they do well, it's condescendingly exploring the mindsets of characters that are completely outside the norm. Billy Bob Thornton plays the dim-witted protagonist here, but unlike most other Coen leads, Thornton is a relatively passive and quiet. The Man Who Wasn't There is placed in the general realm of noir, though it plays out more like a slow-burning thriller that just so happens to be presented in two-tone. Infidelity, blackmail, lust, homicide, and inadequacy are all themes the Coens have explored before (and better), but the combination platter is simply delectable and endlessly satisfying.
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