Coen Brothers: Ranking Their Films From Worst To Best

9. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

The most recent addition to this list stars Oscar Isaac as the luckless - but not heartless - Llewyn Davis, a singer-songwriter navigating the folk scene of Greenwich Village in the early 1960s. Isaac isn't exactly a newcomer, but it's safe to say that Davis is his breakout role. He's nothing less than great in this film; the real star though, is his music. The Coens aren't afraid to let us hear an entire song, from beginning to end, complete with nervous introduction beforehand and a patter of applause at the end, and sometimes we even see Llewyn play the same song he played earlier in the film. Everything surrounding these songs is fresh hell and hard times, devoid of luck and kindness, made harder by our hero's blunt pride. But during the songs we get inside Llewyn Davis and really know what he's all about.