Code of the Coens: How to succeed in filmmaking
From their audacious 1984 debut Blood Simple onward, filmmaker brothers Joel and Ethan Coen have built a remarkably consistent and unmistakably personal body of work.
Their latest, a hard-edged adaptation of Cormac McCarthys novel No Country For Old Men, is one of the frontrunners at this years Oscars, tied with There Will Be Blood with eight nominations, including best picture.
While it clearly ranks alongside Fargo and The Big Lebowski as the brothers best work, No Country has an unusual place among their movies, in some ways perfectly typical of their style and in others an unexpected reinvention of it. Heres a quick look at some of the characteristic hallmarks of the Coen brothers success.
Originally published on msnbc.com Feb. 19, 2008. Read the complete article.