Ranking the Coen Brothers

Joel and Ethan Coen have worked together to make 14 feature films. This blog to apply a ranking for those 14 films comes from The Judge's comment that their most recent, Burn After Reading, was their best work ever. I will also categorize them according to their quality and add a tag line for each. And without further ado, here we go....

THE VERY BEST
1. The Big Lebowski (1998)- Not a man, a way of life[1].
2. O' Brother Where Art Thou (2000)- Sometimes, you have to lose your way to get back home.

GREATNESS
3. No Country for Old Men (2007)- You can't stop what's coming.
4. Burn After Reading (2008)- Intelligence is relative.
5. Raising Arizona (1987)- Their lawless years are behind them. Their child-rearing years lay ahead...

REALLY GOOD
6. Fargo (1996)- A lot can happen in the middle of nowhere.
7. Miller's Crossing (1990)- Up is down, black is white, and nothing is what it seems.
8. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)- They took him for a fall guy... but he threw them for a hoop.

AVERAGE
9. Intolerable Cruelty (2003)- Engage the enemy.

FAIRLY BOORING
10. The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)- The last thing on his mind is murder.
11. Barton Fink (1991)- Between Heaven and Hell There's Always Hollywood!

HAVE NOT YET SEEN
Crimewave[2] (1985)- Extermination is not just a business. It's a way of life.
Blood Simple (1984)- Dead in the heart of Texas.
The Lady Killers (2004)- The greatest criminal minds of all time have finally met their match.



1. This was the tag line for its release in Israel.
2. Crimewave was written by both Coen brothers but was directed by Sam Raimi.