The more you see, the less you really know.|Oct. 26, 2001|United Kingdom|116 Min.|R
Genre: Crime;Drama
Description: The Man Who Wasn’t There is a 2001 film that follows the story of Ed Crane, a barber living in Santa Rosa, California in 1949. Married to Doris, a bookkeeper struggling with alcohol, Ed works in a barbershop owned by his brother-in-law, Frank.
One day, a customer named Creighton Tolliver approaches Ed with a business opportunity, proposing an investment in a new dry cleaning technology. Seeking to fund this venture, Ed anonymously blackmails Doris’s boss, “Big Dave” Brewster, whom he suspects of having an affair with her. Brewster, desperate to cover up the blackmail, embezzles money from his department store. However, he soon uncovers the scheme and kills Tolliver after he points the finger at Ed. Brewster then confronts Ed at the store, leading to a violent altercation where Ed stabs Brewster in self-defense.
As the investigation unfolds, Doris is arrested when irregularities in the store’s finances are discovered, and she is accused of embezzlement and Brewster’s murder. Ed hires Freddy Riedenschneider, a high-profile defense attorney, to represent Doris. Despite the efforts and financial sacrifices, Doris tragically takes her own life in her cell on the morning of the trial.
Later, Ed is arrested for murder after Tolliver’s body, along with the investment contract, is found. The police theorize that Ed forced Doris to embezzle the funds and killed Tolliver when he discovered the truth. With his house mortgaged and no funds left for a proper defense, Ed pleads for mercy but is ultimately sentenced to death.
Cast director: Joel Coen
Cast actor: Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, Michael Badalucco, James Gandolfini, Katherine Borowitz, Jon Polito, Scarlett Johansson, Richard Jenkins, Tony Shalhoub, Christopher Kriesa
Original name: The Man Who Wasn’t There