‘Pete, it’s a fool that looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart…’
How do you follow Fargo and The Big Lebowski, possibly the greatest two-picture run in the history of cinema? Well, if you’re the Coen brothers, you rope in George Clooney to loosely remake Homer’s The Odyssey in the American South in the 1930s. It was probably never going to make anyone rich (although the film more than doubled its budget at the box office), but it does speak to the kind of artistic sensibility that leads to immortality…
Everett McGill (Clooney) is our Odysseus, trying to get home to his wife, Penny (Holly Hunter). John Goodman in an eyepatch represents the Cyclops. We also have the sirens, Tiresias and a conclusion that loosely references Poseidon. The film also weaves in American folklore, with Tommy Johnson (Chris Thomas King) standing in for blues guitarist Robert Johnson (who famously claimed to have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for mastery of the guitar; he also had a great name) and Michael Badalucco appears as the infamous bank robber George “Baby Face ” Nelson.
While this isn’t quite up there with the Coens’ very best work, it is still a wonderful, captivating cinematic experience. Legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins produces some of his very best work. His timeless, nostalgic photography evokes the past without being overly sentimental. This is truly a sepia-tinged photograph come to life. As with most of the Coens’ output, the dialogue is the secret weapon here. Not a word is wasted. There is a joke that lands every few minutes and the deadpan humour of Tim Blake Nelson and John Turturro combined with Clooney’s more locquatious protagonist makes for a script that can only be truly appreciated across multiple viewings – always the sign of a great film.
O Brother… runs out of steam somewhat in the final act, but the journey is so beguiling that it almost doesn’t matter that the destination is a little disappointing – another Coens classic.
