All Coen Brothers Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

Critics Consensus: Girded by strong performances from Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, and lifted by some of the Coens' most finely tuned, unaffected work, True Grit is a worthy companion to the Charles Portis book.

Synopsis: After an outlaw named Tom Chaney murders her father, feisty 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross hires Rooster Cogburn, a boozy, trigger-happy lawman, to help her... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper

Directed By: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Critics Consensus: Brutally violent and shockingly funny in equal measure, Blood Simple offers early evidence of the Coen brothers' twisted sensibilities and filmmaking ingenuity.

Synopsis: "Blood Simple" was the first feature film from Joel and Ethan Coen. This is the newly restored and re-edited director's cut of the film, introduced... View Full Synopsis

Starring: John Getz, Frances McDormand, M. Emmet Walsh, Dan Hedaya

Directed By: Joel Coen

Critics Consensus: Violent, quirky, and darkly funny, Fargo delivers an original crime story and a wonderful performance by McDormand.

Synopsis: "Fargo" is a reality-based crime drama set in Minnesota in 1987. Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) is a car salesman in Minneapolis who has gotten... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, William H. Macy, Peter Stormare

Directed By: Joel Coen

Critics Consensus: Bolstered by powerful lead performances from Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Tommy Lee Jones, No Country for Old Men finds the Coen brothers spinning cinematic gold out of Cormac McCarthy's grim, darkly funny novel.

Synopsis: While out hunting, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) finds the grisly aftermath of a drug deal. Though he knows better, he cannot resist the cash left... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson

Directed By: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Critics Consensus: Though possibly more notable for its distinctive style than an airtight story, this Coen brothers take on the classic gangster flick features sharp dialogue, impressive cinematography, and a typically quirky cast of characters.

Synopsis: When the Italian Mafia threatens to kill a crooked bookie (John Turturro), Irish mob boss Leo O'Bannon (Albert Finney) refuses to allow it, chiefly because... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, Marcia Gay Harden, Jon Polito

Directed By: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Critics Consensus: Smart, funny, and profoundly melancholy, Inside Llewyn Davis finds the Coen brothers in fine form.

Synopsis: In 1961 New York City, folk singer Llewyn Davis is at a crossroads. Guitar in hand, he struggles against seemingly insurmountable obstacles to make a... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund

Directed By: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Critics Consensus: Led by a stellar Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth strips the classic story down to its visual and narrative essentials.

Synopsis: Joel Coen's bold and fierce adaptation of "Macbeth," a tale of murder, madness, ambition and wrathful cunning.

Starring: Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Bertie Carvel, Alex Hassell

Directed By: Joel Coen

Critics Consensus: A terrifically original, eccentric screwball comedy, Raising Arizona may not be the Coens' most disciplined movie, but it's one of their most purely entertaining.

Synopsis: An ex-con and an ex-cop meet, marry and long for a child of their own. When it is discovered that Hi is unable to have... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, Trey Wilson, John Goodman

Directed By: Joel Coen

Critics Consensus: Twisty and unsettling, the Coen brothers' satirical tale of a 1940s playwright struggling with writer's block is packed with their trademark sense of humor and terrific performances from its cast.

Synopsis: Set in 1941, an intellectual New York playwright Barton Fink (John Turturro) accepts an offer to write movie scripts in L.A. He finds himself with... View Full Synopsis

Starring: John Turturro, John Goodman, Judy Davis, Michael Lerner

Directed By: Joel Coen

Critics Consensus: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs avoids anthology pitfalls with a consistent collection tied together by the Coen brothers' signature blend of dark drama and black humor.

Synopsis: An anthology of six short films that take place in 19th-century post-Civil War era during the settling of the Old West.

Starring: Tim Blake Nelson, Willie Watson, David Krumholtz, James Franco

Directed By: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Critics Consensus: Blending dark humor with profoundly personal themes, the Coen brothers deliver what might be their most mature -- if not their best -- film to date.

Synopsis: Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) is a physics professor at a 1960s university, but his life is coming apart at the seams. His wife (Sari Lennick)... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed, Sari Lennick

Directed By: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Critics Consensus: Packed with period detail and perfectly cast, Hail, Caesar! finds the Coen brothers delivering an agreeably lightweight love letter to post-war Hollywood.

Synopsis: In the early 1950s, Eddie Mannix is busy at work trying to solve all the problems of the actors and filmmakers at Capitol Pictures. His... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes

Directed By: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Critics Consensus: Stylish but emotionally distant, The Man Who Wasn't There is a clever tribute to the film noir genre.

Synopsis: A dark tale of infidelity and murder, crime and punishment. Set in a small northern California town of the late 40s, the film portrays Ed... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, Michael Badalucco, James Gandolfini

Directed By: Joel Coen

Critics Consensus: The Big Lebowski's shaggy dog story won't satisfy everybody, but those who abide will be treated to a rambling succession of comic delights, with Jeff Bridges' laconic performance really tying the movie together.

Synopsis: Jeff Bridges plays Jeff Lebowski who insists on being called "the Dude," a laid-back, easygoing burnout who happens to have the same name as a... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi

Directed By: Joel Coen

Critics Consensus: With Burn After Reading, the Coen Brothers have crafted another clever comedy/thriller with an outlandish plot and memorable characters.

Synopsis: When a disc containing memoirs of a former CIA analyst (John Malkovich) falls into the hands of Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) and Chad Feldheimer (Brad... View Full Synopsis

Starring: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton

Directed By: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Critics Consensus: Though not as good as Coen brothers' classics, the delightfully loopy O Brother, Where Art Thou? is still a lot of fun.

Synopsis: Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney) is having difficulty adjusting to his hard-labor sentence in Mississippi. He scams his way off the chain gang with simple... View Full Synopsis

Starring: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman

Directed By: Joel Coen

Critics Consensus: Though more mainstream than other Coen films, there are still funny oddball touches, and Clooney and Zeta-Jones sizzle like old-time movie stars.

Synopsis: Miles Massey (George Clooney) is an exceptional divorce lawyer who specializes in saving cheating husbands from having to pay expensive settlements. Unchallenged, he wearies of... View Full Synopsis

Starring: George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Geoffrey Rush, Cedric the Entertainer

Directed By: Joel Coen

Critics Consensus: The appealing odd-couple chemistry between Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan helps Drive-Away Dolls power past its overly familiar screenplay and erratic execution.

Synopsis: Written by Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke, this comedy caper follows Jamie, an uninhibited free spirit bemoaning yet another breakup with a girlfriend, and her... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein, Joey Slotnick

Directed By: Ethan Coen

Critics Consensus: Intriguingly strange and visually distinctive, The Hudsucker Proxy is ultimately almost -- but not quite -- as smart and absorbing as it needs to be.

Synopsis: Greedy executive Sidney J. Mussburger (Paul Newman) hopes to take control of the company he works for by purchasing a majority share -- but he... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tim Robbins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Paul Newman, Charles Durning

Directed By: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Critics Consensus: Hanks' performance in the lead role is inspired, but this is a relatively minor offering from the Coen brothers.

Synopsis: Professor G.H. Dorr (Tom Hanks), a courtly Southern gentleman, arrives at the home of devout, elderly Marva Munson (Irma P. Hall), hoping to rent her... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tom Hanks, Irma P. Hall, Marlon Wayans, J.K. Simmons

Directed By: Joel Coen