Customer Reviews

The Coen Brothers Movie Collection (Fargo / Miller's Crossing / Barton Fink / Raising Arizona / Blood Simple)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm not sure if a better 5 film collection exists right now. While this collection is missing one big thing, "The Big Lebowski", it is nevertheless the essential Coen brothers set to own. Whether you have been a fan since "Blood Simple" or you have just been introduced to the Coen's magic with their amazing new film "No Country for Old Men", then this set will appeal to you. Containing 5 films, "Blood Simple", "Raising Arizona", "Miller's Crossing", "Barton Fink", and "Fargo" this set covers all the bases of the Coen brothers brand of film making. From the ridiculously hilarious (Raising Arizona), to the dark and dramatic (Miller's Crossing and Blood Simple), and finally to a hybrid of the two (Fargo and Barton Fink), these films show the Coen brothers at their best.

One thing you will notice throughout these films is that the brothers use the same stable of actors in several of their movies. I have heard some people complain about this, but I think it is fantastic. The reason they do this is because they know how to get the exact performance that they want from each of these great actors (John Goodman being a prime example). And the characters throughout their films are so quirky and distinct, that you will never have to worry about seeing the same performance twice.

If you don't own any Coen films then nothing should be stopping you from picking up this set, but even for fans who may own a film or two, or three, it is a great way to have 5 of the brothers best films in one place. Pick up "The Big Lebowski" and, if you like, "O Brother Where Art Thou", and "The Man Who Wasn't There" and you will have every Coen film worth owning.

And whether you enjoy any or all of these films, go see "No Country for Old Men", it is an extremely good film, one of the best of this decade. The Coen's are back, and I'm sure they have exciting things planned for the future.

The Coen brothers -- Joel and Ethan -- burst onto the scene with 1984's "Blood Simple", a slow-moving noirish crime drama that expanded the universe of those films in ways most Americans were not familiar. For one thing, it wasn't clear right away what the crime was. Second, it wasn't clear who the crimial was. Third, as that guy stated in one of the film's great lines, "Where's my jacket?" indicated the complete irony every character found himself facing in this very original production.

And thus began the career of two of America's most celebrated filmmakers from the past 25 years. The Coen brothers grew up in Minneapolis and present a very Seinfeld-esque Midwestern view in their films, even those that take place in unnamed large cities including the oddball mobster movie "Miller's Crossing" or "Barton Fink", which begins in New York and moves onto Los Angeles.

The latter film -- always one of my favorite Coen brothers' works -- was almost completely misintrepreted by critics when it arrived in 1991. None could identify the obvious symbolism that it was about a conflicted playwright (John Turturro) who took his great success from New York's theater community and went West to become a screenwriter in Hollywood, where he encounters all sorts of evil including the Devil incarnate. Even during all these very unMidwestern transacations, the Coens stayed true to their upbringing and brought hardworking pull yourself up by your bootstraps elements to their movies, where every hero was challenged by the unusual, original and sometimes even the insurmountable. They did this even when mixing film metaphors as they so often do.

The greatest advantage of this package is it includes none of their later higher gloss but emotionally empty movies with George Clooney. It I was the one packaging this, I'd have deleted "Raising Arizona" and added "The Big Lebowski", a better comedy and a film that features a much better cast than "Arizona". But that's small potatoes because, for less than $35, you have get a handful of the Coens' best early films for home enjoyment anytime you want, including their great masterpiece "Fargo", an American Film Institute top 100 movie that takes place in their hometown and is based on events that really happened.

So don't waste too much time if original filmmaking, clever writing, wonderful character acting, and originality are assets you seek in entertainment. Take advantage of one of the offers Amazon Marketplace provides you to get this package for a very attractive price and bring treasurable art into your home for consumption anytime you want. [...]

I'll cut to the chase and say that these five films are the best films The Coen Brothers made from their early years. "Fargo" is genius and should have won the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Director over "The English Patient" back in 1996; "Miller's Crossing" is the most original gangster film ever made; "Barton Fink" is one of the most original films ever made, period; "Raising Arizona" shows The Coen Brothers at their most hilarious and quirky best; and "Blood Simple" is a masterful and truly remarkable debut film. While some might include "The Big Lebowski" or "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" in place of some of the films listed here, we'll just have to wait for the second box set to come out which will undoubtedly include "No Country for Old Men" in the new collection. Highly recommended.

It pains me to give this collection less than 5 stars, because these are unbelievably great films at what has (at times) been a great price. But in presenting "Raising Arizona" to friends and family last night, I was frustrated that I couldn't get the 16:9 picture to fill my HDTV screen. So I fiddled with controls on the DVD player and the TV set itself, continually failing to make the picture large enough (though the aspect ratio was fine). Only later did I find out that this is not a true 16:9 anamorphic transfer, but a "letterboxed" version - meaning you're only going to get a picture about half the size your television is capable of showing. I just checked "Fargo," and it filled the screen nicely (though neither film has a really pristine transfer). Does it sound like I'm nitpicking details? Maybe so - but it's only because these are COEN BROTHERS films, and are so close to being perfect that I'd like the technical side to live up to the films themselves. That being said, this is a terrific collection and highly recommended.

Great as a gift or for yourself. Can't beat the price and is a big boost to your DVD collection if you're a Coen fan. The movies area also in their own cases instead of once big case with spots for all the DVDs.

Although for what it is you'd think they'd at least throw in the Hudsucker Proxy or Lebowski. Still, this was a great deal. Don't expect much in the way of extras, or even an accompanying booklet. But you get five great films at a more than reasonable price.

I bought this set because BLOOD SIMPLE was impossible to find at the time. The quality is alright, nothing special.

They are all good films, and the set is worth it for that reason alone.

We really enjoyed these. I had just recently got turned onto the Coen Brothers, and once I found that I liked many of their recent movies, I found this box set! Their older flicks are wonderful too!

The Coen Brothers are full of creativity and originality. I have always been a fan of "Raising Arizona" and "Fargo", but I only recently watched the other 3 in this collection.

I was mesmerized by the suspenseful "Blood Simple", and John Goodman gives an amazing performance in the thriller, "Barton Fink", which is now one of my favorites. All of their movies are well-written and unique, so I will always be excited to see any new one they come out with.

This is a collection for a true fan of the suspense/noir/black comedy genres!

The films in this set are very good. We received the boxed set earlier than expected from Amazon and that was great. Would recommend this set of films to anyone who are idols of the Coen Brothers.