The Ladykillers

When we set out to view all the Coen Brothers films in order, I had forgotten about The Ladykillers. For their first foray into re-make city, they chose a classic Ealing comedy from 1955, starring Alec Guinness. And they came a cropper. The wonderful old Ealing comedies relied on a peculiarly British sensibility, a sense of black humor with a light touch. Whatever other qualities the Coens are known for, a light touch isn’t one of them. The black part they understand. Tom Hanks was all wrong for the role, and is about the worst I’ve ever seen him in this movie. It depressed us enough that I decided to exempt us from this one. No sense punishing ourselves again. You want to see The Ladykillers, do yourself a favor and rent the old one.