How would you rank the Coen Brothers movies? | The Boneyard

How would you rank the Coen Brothers movies?

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Just the ones they have directed. They have made a lot of great ones. Let's keep it simple and narrow it to five.

1. Fargo.
2. Miller's Crossing
3. Big Lebowski
4. Hail, Caesar!
5. Raising Arizona

I think the list is pretty self explanatory with the exception of Hail Caesar! which needs to defended. But I found it a brilliant love letter to 1950's Hollywood even portraying the Black List somewhat sympathetically. It is an almost perfect film with one fatal flaw -- Josh Brolin -- who did absolutely nothing with a wonderful part. Imagine Tom Hanks or Jim Carrey or anyone with an ounce of charisma in that role. Anyways I am just interested in seeing how others rate the Coen films. And some of the why.
 

Waquoit

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1. No Country for Old Men
2. O Brother, Where Art Thou
3. True Grit
4. Ballad of Buster Scruggs
5. Big Lebowski

Maybe it's recency bias or my liking good westerns. Also, I really don't care for their early movies and I tried. I added Lebowski just to make it 5. I remember seeing 1, 3 and 4 and immediately thinking, "That was a good movie." O Brother took me a second time but I love it now. It's bona fide.
 
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O Brother, Where Art Thou is clearly my favorite Coen Brothers film. George Clooney is probably the ultimate Coen Brother leading man, and the music falls in that sweet spot for me. It is a must watch in our household when it shows up on television.

Burn After Reading and Fargo are the next two Coen Brother favorites on our favorites list. Burn After Reading had me howling at the end of the movie, as the song "CIA Man" by The Fugs played over the end credits. The Fugs were one of those odd college discoveries for me and my friends during my time as a UConn student (late 1970's into the 1980's), so hearing that song again was something of a great guilty pleasure.

@Palatine gives a big mention to Hail, Caesar! I saw it only once, but I loved it at the time. Definitely wouldn't mind seeing it again sometime to see how it holds up. I suspect it would do just fine.
 

Waquoit

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We almost pulled the trigger on "Hail Caesar" last week. With a thumbs up from db and pal, it will probably make the cut this week.
 
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My favorites, in no order:

1. The Big Lebowski
2. Raising Arizona
3. No Country For Old Men
4. Fargo
5. Hail, Caesar!


I also dig The Hudsucker Proxy, Burn After Reading, Blood Simple, Miller's Crossing and more.
 

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