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The Wednesday 10 : The Top 10 Coen Brothers Characters
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This Friday, the Coen brothers latest film A Serious Man opens in Seattle. The Coens have spent twenty-five years building up one of cinema’s finest resumes, growing a cult following between critics and fans alike. On the eve of their latest, and as the beginning of a new weekly column called The Wednesday 10, here is a look back at the brothers ten greatest characters, from the indelible leads to the bizarre scene-stealers.
10. Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito) in Miller’s Crossing : By some margin the shortest part on this list, Polito’s Johnny Caspar is a miniscule ball of energy and anger. A Prohibition-era mobster with aims to take out the big boss Leo (Albert Finney), Polito infuses Johnny with one of the Coen’s favorite attributes, utter bewilderment at the failings around him. His constant insistence that someone might be giving him, “the high hat” is the pinnacle in Crossing’s fear of double-dealing. A businessman who demands ethics from his employees, even if he has none himself. Polito’s peculiar delivery and mustache amp up the goofiness but never enters to far into the quirk-zone.
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9. Larry Gopnick (Michael Stuhlbarg) in A Serious Man : There have been a lot of Coen characters who have struggled, many of whom are on this list. However, none have faced the continual hardships that Larry Gopnick has in A Serious Man. Others have had to solve crimes, or even escape from them, but Larry’s problems are of a far more personal kind. His wife wants to leave him, his brother is a lackadaisical, gambling mess, he might lose his bid for tenure and even his beloved son just whines all day about the television reception being too fuzzy for “F-Troop.” Stuhlbarg’s utter exhaustion in the part revels in Larry’s dismal situation in a far more relatable way than any Coen creation to date. You just want to give the big lummox a hug, though odds are that would lead to some other mishap.
8. Carl Showalter (Steve Buscemi) in Fargo : To say that Carl Showalter is a likable guy would be overstating things, he is after-all a kidnapping, murdering crook who hangs out with other kidnapping, murdering crooks. Yet, you have to feel bad for Carl and his failed attempt at the criminal life. He really is an everyman. Carl just wants a beer, some time with a lady (even the ones who think he is “funny looking”), a few bucks and to chat with a buddy on the job. This bizarre dichotomy only works because of Buscemi, a five-time Coen contributor. Buscemi’s Carl is weasel-y, bitter to have to wait for anyone, but the calamities that crash down on him, from the parking garage gunshot to the infamous wood-chipper, make you pity the silly sod.
7. Loren Visser (M. Emmet Walsh) in Blood Simple : Somehow, lost in the discussion of the all-time dirtiest, cruelest villains in cinema history, M. Emmet Walsh’s Loren Visser has been taken for granted. Right from the Coen’s first outing, they knew how to construct evil. Walsh epitomizes perversity, with a string of bizarre stories, a sickly Texan drawl and enough sweat pouring out to fill up the Gulf of Mexico. Hired to kill a cheating wife, Loren is a disturbing southern-gentleman, who will happily laugh off any misfortune, even bleeding to death. Walsh is terrifying here, a greasy monstrosity whose every move is only for himself. A prime example of his faux-ethics comes in a talk with Dan Hedaya’s Marty, the man who has hired Loren for the dirty deed. Loren’s response to the Marty’s offer is, “Well, if the pay is right, and it’s legal, I’ll do it.” Told swiftly that its not “strictly” legal. Loren doesn’t miss a beat and replies, “Well, if the pay’s right, I’ll do it.”
6. Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson) in O Brother, Where Art Thou? : Undeniably, Tim Blake Nelson’s Delmar is the Coen’s most lovable creation. Yes, he is an escaped convict, but he has a heart of gold, going out of his way to make all of his buddies and newfound acquaintances happy, whether it is protecting a colleague - possibly turned into a toad - from harm or making sure to save some freshly cooked gopher. Delmar is a dimwit but one, thanks to Nelson, who has a gigantic, dumb grin on his face that you have to succumb to. He doesn’t want fussing fighting. Delmar long to get the family farm back, and if that means singing a song or fighting the KKK he will do it.
5. Edwina “Ed” McDunnough (Holly Hunter) in Raising Arizona : The Coens don’t often linger on families, traditionally narrowing in on the realm of cops and robbers. Raising Arizona is the exception, with Holly Hunter’s Ed, an Arizona police officer, longing for nothing more than to have a baby with her husband H.I. (Nicolas Cage). That he happens to be one of those aforementioned robbers is only part of the problem. You ache for Ed and her inability to conceive a child with H.I. When a nearby family has quintuplets, Ed decides to steal one for herself, positive she’d be a good mama and can provide Nathan Junior more attention than he’d get with a slew of siblings. Even though Raising Arizona is a comedy, few actresses could turn the theft of a newborn into a sympathetic gesture, and Hunter pulls it off with ease. Ed’s fight to protect her new boy, be it from a pair of idiotic thugs or a brutal bounty-hunter, reveals her motherly instincts and her take-no-crap attitude.
4. Walter Sobchack (John Goodman) in The Big Lebowski : Is there a more misunderstood character in the Coen resume? Sure The Dude (Jeff Bridges) is The Big Lebowski’s “wrong man,” but Walter Wobchak means to help but everyone mistakes his acts of kindness for blustery, angry lunacy. Sure, his actions are those things, but come on, Walter just wants to be pals. That he might pull a gun on you during a round of bowling is his nature, “This isn’t ‘Nam...There are rules.” Goodman, another Coen vet (5 films altogether), goes huge here, screaming and shouting but in a way rooted in character. He isn’t merely some hollering buffoon. He is a prone to tamptrums, politically paranoid best friend, who, if you just so happen to need it, “...can get you a toe by 3 o’clock this afternoon...with nail polish.” One of film’s silliest and finest sidekicks.
3. Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) in No Country for Old Men : Relentless. That is the key word that comes to mind when thinking of Bardem’s unstoppable killing machine Anton Chigurh. With that iconic haircut and a cattle-gun by his side, Chigurh is one of the decade’s most sinister creations, with a dark sense of humor that creeps in only after he has killed you, or, if the coin toss goes well, decides to let you live. Badrem’s portrayal of the Cormac McCarthy character is unforgettable, a flesh-and-bone spectre that prefers to keep his boots free of blood stains. With dead eyes and a hushed, demanding baritone, Bardem’s Chigurh works his own twisted take on fate around No Country’s troubled souls, lingering on even in the survivor’s hearts.
2. Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) in Fargo : Honest, hard-working and supportive are not adjectives that would describe many on this list. They are a perfect fit for old Margie though, McDormand’s sensational Fargo police chief. A ludicrous creation - short, extremely pregnant cop with the thickest accent in Minnesota - Marge is the heart of the Coen’s oeuvre. She won’t tell a lie, is smarter than everyone in the room and encourages her husband’s mallard painting. Marge may first seem like a silly cliche, and you would be a fool to fall for it. Beneath that soft exterior is a woman who will hunt you down, even if she does so with more manners than most.
1. Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) in The Big Lebowski : “Sometimes, there’s a man, well, the man for his time and place...And that’s The Dude.” So says Sam Elliot’s The Stranger in the opening moments of The Big Lebowski, describing Jeff Bridges’ lazy, perplexed one-time Metallica roadie. The Dude just wants one thing, his rug, it really tied the room together. Mistaken for another man, El Duderino’s quest to find the other Jeffrey Lebowski (“The millionaire”) leads him to porn-stars, flying naked artists and a trio of nihilist techno-pop musicians. Along the way, we learn that The Dude is a prime example of what many Americans are today; a slacker with no real purpose, that when given a goal, a genuine one, will work his ass off to achieve it. Jeff Lebowski is more than anything, a relatable guy, as outlandish a concoction as he may be. He likes the simple things in life (White Russians, jelly shoes, Creedence) and is annoyed by the irrelevant (spilling a beverage, strange best friends, the f#cking Eagles!). Bridges’ goofy smile, head-nodding and relaxed attitude elevates someone who is all but a bum, into something magical. No matter the problem, whatever the threat, it is good to know that somewhere out there, “The Dude abides.”
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