Joel and Ethan Coen - A Biography part 2: 1997 to date. (part 1)

The Coen's next film would build upon this success and in 1998 The Big Lebowski was released. With its story about "The Dude" an LA slacker, used as an unwitting pawn in a fake kidnapping plot (sound familiar) the Coen's had hit on a film that would provide a mainstream accessibility that they hadn't really enjoyed since Raising Arizona. Despite a lukewarm reception from the critics, it was well received by the paying public who gravitated to The Dude (played superbly by Jeff Bridges) his bowling buddies (Steve Buscemi and John Goodman) and the plethora of great supporting characters like Marty the Dude's performance artist landlord and Brandt Mr Lebowski's personal assistant. Just like Fargo, The Big Lebowski contains some very rich and hugely funny dialogue which helps make the film eminently watchable.

Buoyed by the success of both Fargo and Lebowski. The Coen Brothers next film O Brother, Where Art Thou? was to be yet another critical success. Based loosely on Homer's "Odyssey" (complete with a Cyclops, Sirens et al) the story is set along the Mississippi River in the 1930s and follows a trio of escaped convicts that have absconded from a chain gang, and who journey home in an attempt to recover the loot from a bank heist that the leader has buried. But they have no idea what the journey is that they are undertaking. The films Bluegrass soundtrack, offbeat humour and, yet again, stunning cinematography, meant it was a critical and commercial hit (even the soundtrack spawned a CD, a concert, and a concert DVD of its own - Down From the Mountain). It also helped establish the movie credentials of George Clooney who effortlessly brought to life the oddball lead character of Everett (ably assisted by his sidekick the now ubiquitous John Turturro).

2001 saw a change of pace with the noirish thriller The Man Who Wasn't There. Set in late 1940's California the film tells the tale of a laconic chain smoking barber (played perfectly by Billy Bob Thornton), who in an effort to get some money together to invest in a dry cleaning business (where he really can clean up) decides to blackmail his wife's boss (who is also her lover). The film (shot entirely in crisp Black and White) follows a series of twists and turns, not unusual for Coen films, but here the slow deliberate build of the thriller, and its dead end roads and curve ball misdirections all unfold unhurriedly and are judged to perfection. The film was definitely one for the purists rather than for the casual fan (who may have previously only enjoyed Arizona, Fargo or Lebowski).

2003 saw the release of the Coen's most mainstream film to date with Intolerable Cruelty. With a story based around Miles a hot shot divorce lawyer, and a beautiful female divorcee who Miles had managed to stop getting any money from her divorce. She sets out on a course to get even with him whilst he begins to be smitten with her. Intolerable Cruelty divided the critics; some applauding the superior curveball rom com elements of the movie, others enquiring as to why the Coen's would wish to supply us with their take on this genre. Either way the general feeling was that the film was not entirely satisfying and definitely not one of the brothers most inspiring movies.

2004 saw the Coen Brothers release The Ladykillers a remake of the Ealing Studios classic. The story revolves around a professor who puts together a team to rob a casino. They rent a room in an old ladies house in order to execute the heist but when the old lady discovers the plot the gang decides to murder her to assure her silence. But that is easier said than done. The Coens received some of the most lukewarm reviews of their career with this movie, the general feeling being that whilst the Coen's have managed to make films in which a genre can be homaged / pastiched successfully, a pretty straight reworking of a classic gives little enough scope for them to work their real magic. The Ladykillers is certainly less inspired than any of their previous films and it certainly makes the viewer wonder why the Coens, over anybody else, would chose to remake such a well loved classic. It certainly has a few moments that really do work well, but overall it feels like a pale imitation both of The Ladykillers and Joel and Ethan Coen.

2007 saw the release of the Coen's No Country for Old Men. Based on the 2005 novel by the legendary author Cormac McCarthy, telling the tale of a man living on the Texas / Mexico border, who stumbles upon $2m dollars of drug money that he decides to pocket, and who then has to go on the run to try and avoid those looking to recover their money. The film was a much welcomed returned to form and not before time. The plot was ideally suited to the Coen brothers and with such rich material they made a true classic that was commended by the die hard Coen brothers' fans and critics alike. They were rewarded with 7 Oscar nominations, and ended up winning 4 (including Best Direction and Best Picture). So thankfully, after a run of diminishing returns and a couple of of exceptionally dodgy below par recent movies, the Coens bounced back to show they hadn't lost it after all.

With a whole host of projects currently in various stages of production (four have been announced so far) the Coen's next movie, named Burn After Reading, is completed and due for release in September and October 2008 throughout the world. In various stages of production are Surburbicon (2009), Hail Caesar (2009) and Gambit (2009), it is to be hoped that the Coen's again continue the progress that they made with their last film and continue to surprise us over and over again with their mastery of innovative and genuinely quirky storytelling.