Kermode Uncut: Top Five Coen Brothers Films

www.bbc.co.uk/markkermode
Hail Caesar - the new Coen Bros film is out this week. Here are my five favourites from their career...

[@deanking4809]

I've seen drug deals that are less shadier than these videos with Mark hanging round the back of a car park

[@petemoulton3203]

Lebowski would have really tied the list together.

[@sleepyazathoth5238]

No Big Lebowski? Well, that's like, your opinion, man.

[@Columboyd]

+The Wilfred It took him the second time to watch it, to even laugh at it! there's a vid on utube that shows Mark giving it a second chance

[@jamesbastion7258]

A serious man is criminally underrated, so much depth to analyse.

[@jamesbastion7258]

Oh yeah, I forgot about the Big Lebowski, that's a modern masterpiece in my opinion.

[@foxybingo1112]

James Bastion A modern masterpiece. One of the best of the 21st century, alongside No Country For Old Men

[@65g4]

A Serious Man is in my top 5

[@lukepalmer4200]

I thought the Fargo TV series would be terrible but it's pure genius.

[@bengun1580]

@Withnail No No 1st series wins by a street okey dokey

[@TheElfay]

Not even a mention of 'Raising Arizona'!?!? oh Mark...how could you?! signed a Minnesota girl

[@RyanHollinger]

Inside Llewyn Davis and Burn After Reading are brilliantly underrated films. I'm surprised how few people have seen either of them.

[@glazeron33]

+Ryan Hollinger Burn After Reading is actually one of their most succesful films financially, a lot of people have seen that one.

[@RyanHollinger]

DomesticDrone Didn't know that! That's an interesting one.

[@goodial]

+Adam Isaksson I didn't like Inside Llewyn Davis ...

[@scattygirl1]

Amazed that anyone would even dislike Burn After Reading, let alone not love it. Didn't like Llewyn Davis.

[@strangecowfilms]

I agree that No Country had great cinematography but considering that the film that beat it for that category was There Will be Blood I think that can be accepted.

[@freaklives]

Raising Arizona. First Coen Bros. movie I saw and still my favourite.

[@purplezebrahoover]

Kermode you're out of your element!

[@johnrogers8876]

My current top 5: A Serious Man, Oh Brother Where Art Thou, The Big Lebowski, No Country For Old Men, Fargo. Honorable mention Raising Arizona.

[@iplaygunz1]

Honestly, one of the best things about the Fargo TV spinoff is that it manages to respect the original movie and keep it at arms length. I don't think lack of enjoyment within the TV series could ruin the movie for anyone.

[@bosdirtdog]

Not enough people have given the TV show the respect it deserves

[@TwoMikesProductions]

True Grit. Loved it. Such a wonderfully shot and warm film with such a simple story.

[@hurricanebtvs]

O Brother, Where Art Thou? easily.

[@ps3gamesncomicbooks]

+hurricanebtvs I hate that film

[@hurricanebtvs]

Okay?

[@ps3gamesncomicbooks]

Lol just sayin haha, I think it's one of those films. Genuinely bored me.

[@yhctower]

+hurricanebtvs That is my fav also

[@TTFMjock]

Brother, Fargo, Lebowski, No Country, in no particular Order. No. 5 is negotiable. Could be Miller, Fink, Lewellin, basically any of 10 films. But IMO, those 4 remain the standouts.

[@90grahamcracker]

I had a similar mindset about the Fargo TV series, fearing that it might taint one of my favorite movies. But I finally watched it and it is genuinely fantastic. I would recommend it to anyone.

[@DogsBAwesome]

The Fargo TV series is well worth a watch, no fluff to pad out the season here.

[@pibyte]

"A Serious Man" Film haunts me to this day

[@Inconvenientx]

It is ridiculous how many brilliant films these guys have made. Who can compete with them? Hitchcock, maybe. But for sheer quantity of quality they are a cut above anyone living. Also worth remembering how comfortably they move through genres.

[@GordonChapmanFox]

Miller's Crossing at No.1 for me, every time. It's almost Shakespearean.

[@David-mg1yj]

The Hudsucker Proxy is absolutely wonderful.

[@fergus1948]

The Coen Brothers movie I watch almost as often as the Big Lebowski is The Man Who Wasn’t There, a criminally underrated movie.

[@piratesfan1995able]

The one liners in millers crossing are top notch

[@r4ndomboy]

A serious man is my favorite movie ever.

[@melinaharker9177]

True Grit!

[@johnsmodularjams2123]

interesting note about the double bill of Blood Simple and Evil Dead. Joel Coen actually worked on Evil Dead as an assistant editor, in fact it was one of his first jobs in film I believe. Also, Evil Dead was the inspiration for how Blood Simple was funded

[@Infametheus]

So many great films to choose from.

[@SuperMunkeh]

I felt exactly the same about the Fargo TV series.....but then I actually watched it and was blown away. The film is undoubtably an untouchable classic, but the TV show is excellent as well. They nail the dark comedy and atmosphere of the film and still manage to put an original slant on it. Would highly recommend it to anyone who has doubt about it.

[@jonathanwalther]

Both are great. The film and the series. I was praying for the series to be good, and it was! Great characters.

[@JohnnyWrong]

I too thought Fargo was untouchable. I was wrong. The show is every bit as good as the movie.

[@taz4382]

Mark you should definitely watch the tv show. It so worth watching. One of the best tv shows.

[@haydengilbert6317]

The Coens are some of my favorite filmmakers. Their view of the world is alternately hilarious and terrifying in ways that no other storytellers can describe. For my money, my five favorite films of their's would have to be: 5. O, Brother Where Art Thou? 4. No Country for Old Men 3. Fargo 2. A Serious Man 1. Inside Llewyn Davis, which happens to be the latest movie I have seen that has utterly bowled me over and changed the way I look at film and, in a way, at life.

[@NxDoyle]

I could say that my Coen brothers entry point was Raising Arizona, because that's the first of their movies I saw, in 1988. But it was Miller's Crossing really, for the simple reason that it made me want to know who created it. I was so mad for that movie, I remember calling people, specifically to tell them to watch it.

[@RonaldReaganRocks1]

"The Man Who Wasn't There." My favorite Coen Brothers movie by a mile.

[@Magnetopear]

Fargo's also my favourite Coen brothers film but Mr Kermode you should definitely watch the TV series. It's set in the same universe and is outstanding television!

[@jasonhedrick7953]

The lack of love for "The Man Who Wasn't There" is surprising. Easily in the top five.

[@barrywhitesavedmylife7957]

Blood Simple and No Country For Old Men I love. Great choices Mark!

[@Iknowwahtyoudid]

Five and a half words define their best film : The Man Who Wasn't There.

[@pukeyourguts]

i just love a serious man so so much

[@ryanjohnson7354]

Interesting how this differs for so many people. I'd have put The Man Who Wasn't There somewhere, being that I saw that for the first time recently and it became a firm favourite.

[@timinno]

No Country for Old Men will always be No. 1 for me. First film I saw twice at the cinema.

[@ThomasGanschOFFICIAL]

you did ? you got the big Lebowsky ? I´m so happy for you Mark !

[@con_doorman]

Inside Llewyn Davis is one of my top 10 favourite movies. Plus the phone pad sketch in The Big Lebowski is the greatest visual gag in the history of cinema.

[@W00DSMAN]

2016 and still not watching TV's Fargo Mark? Pretty silly move if you ask me. We all expected it to be a heartless cash grab but its was in fact absolutely wonderful. The Coens themselves signed off on it and even mentioned that show runner Noah Hawley did such a good job that to the Coens themselves it felt like something they had written when they first saw the scripts. Fargo is still my favourite film of theirs but the show really does deserve to be seen. Its been the best show on television for the past 2 years.

[@PhilosopherJEB]

People that love FARGO *need* to watch the TV show, because holy-cow-is-that-show-good!

[@zsht]

In no particular order, the correct list is: O Brother, No Country, Blood Simple, Fargo, Raising Arizona

[@barrywhitesavedmylife7957]

Mark you need to watch the Fargo TV series, it's amazing!

[@fizzywack]

Agree completely. The first series especially is utterly brilliant!

[@benjaminpieper8488]

Second series takes the cake in my opinion.

[@floragosling84]

I saw the TV show of "Fargo" first, so for me that's the best version. Plus there's something beautiful about seeing the coen brothers go back to work on something they did so well, and improve on it.

[@tomm9402]

+Flora Gosling They have little or no actual input on the show

[@floragosling84]

Tom M Oh, hadn't realized that. Still, gotta say I prefer it.

[@timridley1]

With you on 'No country...' and yes it should have won the cinematography Oscar. Blood simple is quite simply brilliant, the best modern Noir I ever seen. Fargo yes as well, good to hear what you think about the Coens work.

[@VermillionCain]

No one ever says Raising Arizona and it's one of my favourite comedies :-/

[@margaret928]

+VermillionCain I agree!!

[@CogLife]

I liked it too. The first Cohen Brothers film I'd seen.

[@wonderbhoy1967]

You could easily argue for a completely different top 5 given their breadth and quality of work. Fargo is wonderful.

[@allaboutdmagic]

"Before I finally understood its genius" He actually said it!!! In relation to The Big Lebowski.

[@CaiominTwin]

Hail Caesar! is excellent. It is highly enjoyable, well-paced, and serves as a great love letter to the golden age of Hollywood.

[@ricmac954]

The Big Lebowski for sure, but also (criminally overlooked by nearly everybody) The Man Who Wasn't There.

[@vernonallen3370]

Loved Hail Caesar. The man who wasn't there ,would be in my top five.

[@hed0nismbot]

I genuinely don’t understand how he just did that. Every Coens movie I’ve ever seen is my favorite, and I’ve only seen like the half.

[@rorrt]

Got to say, i would have popped The Big Lebowski in maybe instead of Millers Crossing, or at very least as an extremely honourable mention. Fargo is just.. Its incredible. I love it. And the TV show too. First, and second series. Some of the best television i've ever watched. Capturing the character, and the world just perfectly.

[@okmelancholico]

Fargo is my favourite too, and it always reminds me how cool my dad was because he loved it so much. It also has Steve Buscemi in it, my ultimate fave living actor.

[@jafarthebarmecide3677]

The TV series of Fargo in no way spoils or cheapens the film. It is made with the same genuine love and respect for the people of Minnesota that came from the film. If anything the series made revisit the film and appreciate it more.

[@roelsiebrand7181]

There is so much that I love about A Serious Man, that it became my favourite Coen Brothers movie. The never ending sorrow of Larry Gopnik, the acting of the ALL actors (the fist time I saw Michael Stuhlbarg in a film, this movie put him certainly on the map) is astoundingly great and funny. The running gags ('just a minute!'), the rabbi's (especially Simon Helberg who is awesome). So yes, it's in my top five Coen Brothers.

[@watchwatchlalala]

There is no Top Five for me. I LOVE the Coens. Start to Finish.

[@nicheman3612]

The body of work of the Cone Brothers is so strong and varied that the chances of someone having the exact same top five as you are slim. My top 5 in no particular order is No Country, For Old Men, Miller's Crossing, Inside Llewyn Davis, The Man Who Wasn't There and Fargo although there are many more that are close.

[@TheWelchProductions]

A Serious Man is my favorite.

[@hypnodelica]

O'Brother, Where Art Thou? and The Big Lebowski would be automatic top 5's for me...

[@McShag420]

Glad you watched Big Lebowski a few more times. It's genius is so subtle, it's nuanced scenes so meaningful in their meaninglessness that it is truly a master level work. Every viewing, you will enjoy it more. Watch it 5 more times and I bet it would easily take a top spot in this list!

[@22Phantasm]

Mark says it's hard to pick just 5 favourite Coen Brothers' movies - I agree with this. I also think his 5 are pretty good.

[@poontang3zizo]

I can't come up with a personal top 5 Coen bros movies list. I tried but I just can't. Nearly every single film they've made is a masterpiece imo.

[@FollowBetulas]

Mark I guarantee the Fargo tv series is just as good as the film. You'd probably enjoy the subtle nods to other Coen films throughout the episodes.

[@rigsby1454]

Fargo TV series is amazing. Love how it incorporates the film within the universe

[@evillink1]

A Serious Man.

[@DarrenBonJovi]

I love A Serious Man. Out in a minute!!

[@wademccormick254]

There's no way to tell how people will rank their films, which is why I love discussing them

[@TabrisRebuild]

I still need to see Blood Simple, A Serious Man and The Man Who Wasn't There, but the rest are probably my favourites of the Coens so far from what Kermode picked.

[@benjimetalhed]

Barton Fink and Miller's Crossing are immense. Fargo however, is in it's own league.

[@janmerckx]

The Big Lebowski. Loved it the first time around in theatres, have been rewatching and enjoying it ever since. Rest of my Coens top 5: Blood Simple No country for old men The man who wasn't there Fargo

[@violinsinthevoid4579]

1 A Serious Man 2. Inside Llewelyn Davis 3. Blood Simple 4. No Country for Old Men 5. Barton Fink Of course, Raising Arizona and the Big Lebowski are both incredible films too, and Fargo obviously. He is right about this list being tough to forge. Very prolific duo!

[@travisbest9041]

1. 'The Big Lebowski'- Nothing to do with Vietnam 2. 'Barton Fink'- You're alright, Charlie 3. 'Inside Llewyn Davis'- A little careerist 4. 'The Hudsucker Proxy'- An antelope... or an ibex 5. 'Fargo'- Are we square?

[@TheMrMYoung]

Really missing out on not watching the TV show. Season 1 was great but Season 2 was an absolute masterpiece in storytelling.

[@anneseijbel1376]

Chuffed to have 4 of the 5 in my DVD collection:-) Missiing Barton Fink...great movie though.

[@frankkrumnow7194]

Laughed out at that miller's crossing scene: "Would it be physically - or just a mental state?". Just brilliant!

[@BirdArvid]

Fargo, Inside Llewyn Davis, A Serious Man, The Big Lebowski and No Country For Old Men. Honourable mention: Miller's Crossing. I think honestly the greatest strength of the Coen bros. films is how different they are, and yet with such quality through their output.

[@ytkenny5]

My top 5 (tho I haven't seen Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink or Hudsucker Proxy): 1. O Brother, Where Art Thou? 2. Burn After Reading 3. No Country for Old Men 4. Fargo 5. Inside Llewyn Davis

[@danielbradshaw4218]

1. The Big Lebowski (!!!) 2. No Country for old men 3. Inside Llewyn Davis. 4. Fargo 5. Oh brother were art thou. Miller Crossing only just missed a spot there.

[@mondoenterprises6710]

A Serious Man is a sleeper classic. Very dry funny. Big topics. Captures a time and place very well.

[@GreenGretel]

My fave 3 are Fargo, No Country for Old Men, and Inside Llewyn Davis. Granted, I haven't seen Barton Fink or Miller's Crossing yet...

[@everythingisbowler]

yeah well mark, thats just like, your opinion man

[@fringelilyfringelily391]

Another one that should have had a place, (maybe it should have been a top10), is the brilliant and beautiful "The Man Who Wasn't There".

[@patekswiss9521]

“Are you sure? Because - I mean - how do ya know?” - Marge Gunderson The real top 5 are: Fargo, Big Lebowski, A Serious Man, Inside Llewyn Davis and True Grit. This is where the Coens go from merely excellent and impressive to hypnotic.

[@tarantino12345]

The big lebowski. Of course. Never gets old!

[@briarbradshaw9417]

I really enjoyed Burn After Reading actually despite the lack of mentions it seems to get.

[@iamzimz14]

love how everyone's forgotten about Burn After Reading - what did you guys think about it? not in my top 5 coens by a mile

[@mred2071]

Burn After Reading, better than Intolerable Cruelty & The Ladykillers but still very low on my list. loved John Malkovich though!

[@jacktwell3738]

1: Fargo 2: O Brother Where Art Thou 3: Hail Caesar ! 4: No Country For Old Men 5: Inside Llewyn Davis

[@theoisgod7201]

I think you've found a great film maker(s) when you can have a completely different top 5 of their films as someone and still completely agree with their list. Any ways here is mine 5. A Serious Man 4. Inside Llewyn Davis 3. No Country For Old Men 2. Fargo 1. The Big Lebowski

[@nomoney181]

The sound quality has reached new lows

[@alienanxiety]

I'd say this top 5 are my top 5, but in different order. For me, it's: Blood Simple, No Country, Fargo, Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink. All masterpieces.

[@stewerskine2798]

This five is fine, and just rotate a new listing each month. The coens back catalogue is just superb and all could/should be in a top 5

[@leobutie7758]

so far, A serious man is my favourite.

[@ChristianSchonbergerMusic]

Excellent choices! Fargo is a masterpiece! And yep, The Big Lebowski deserves an honorable mention! I actually enjoyed the quirky, hysterical "Raising Arizona" and the very ironic adaptation of "The Ladykillers". "True Grit" isn't too shabby either. Brilliant casting and acting - Jeff Bridges is hilarious as a parody of the old, grizzled, bearded, seen it all, but not too bright Old West guy (just like Sam Elliott was in TBL, in a more clean cut and collected way). Haven't seen it yet, but I guess Kurt Russell does something very similar in "The Hateful Eight". Anyway: love the dark humor and irony in all of the Coen Brothers' work (Just couldn't make it through: "O Brother, Where Art You?" - perhaps I should give it another try?). Thanks for another great video!

[@alachabre]

"He's fleein' the interview!!"

[@mattsuperfreak]

1. Barton Fink 2. The Big Lebowski 3. Inside Llewyn Davis 4. No Country For Old Men 5. O Brother Where Art Thou

[@blastcage]

You really should watch the television programme, it doesn't try to supplant the film at all

[@girlsinnottingham2201]

The man who wasn’t there