Rushfield Babylon

The Correct Ranking of Coen Brothers films

I’ve seen a lot of lists out there ranking the Coen Brothers films and have been struck by the fact that they are all wrong.  Start with the fact that their two Oscar winners - Fargo and No Country - are at or near the top of most lists - the list apparently being written just to be one more voice confirming the conventional wisdom consensus.  Those two are, of course, their two worst films.  The Coen Brothers are great dark comic filmmakers. But when they go into dark without the comedy and just get portentous and meaningful, the great void at the heart of their nihilistic vision swallows the story leaving it as nothing but posturing sophmoric nastiness.  Also, we should all see now with a couple years behind us, what is indisputably their finest film and one of the best films of the decade.

Here then is the correct ranking.  You are welcome to disagree so long as you understand your disagreement only makes clear your own foolishness.  If you can’t accept that, then you are not allowed to disagree.

1. A Serious Man

2. O Brother Where Art Thou

3. The Big Lebowski

4. Raising Arizona

5. The Hudsucker Proxy

6. True Grit

7. Barton Fink

8. Miller’s Crossing

9. Blood Simple

10. The Lady Killers

11. Intolerable Cruelty

12. Burn After Reading

13. Fargo

14. No Country for Old Men

Unseen (By me or anybody): The Man Who Wasnt There

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24. said: 3, 13, 14, 4, 8, 9
25. said: this is ALL kinds of wrong but that’s the general awful reaction to all lists.
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30. said: Wow. You are so wrong. Although serious man is my favorite as well.
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39. bmichael said: fuck you
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