The story begins with Professor G.H. Dorr (Tom Hanks) appearing at Marva Munson’s (Irma P. Hall) doorstep asking to rent her available room.  Marva who is concerned with modern time music and the morally wrong messages in today’s society is happy to rent her apartment to Professor Dorr as he seems to be a man of principles.  Professor Dorr’s appearance is a well rehearsed fabrication as his true intention is to dig a tunnel to the nearby casino and steal the millions in the vault.

The supporting cast around Tom Hanks does not support the story as it becomes next to painful to watch Marlon Wayans swear like a rough gang banger as it obviously is out of context.  The chain-smoking General (Tzi Ma) repeatedly hides his cigarette in his mouth, which does not have the intended affect on the audience.  The Irritable Bowel Syndrome of Garth Pancake (J.K. Simmons) becomes an irritation as it is as silly as making farting sounds in a college course classroom.  The sad part is that the actors are not given enough material to work with as same gags are used over and over again, and this is one of the biggest fall downs of the film.

The Coen Brothers will not be ousted out of the theaters as a result of Ladykillers as they will continue to fascinate audiences with their future films.  Despite the negative parts of Ladykillers the film has truly fantastic and imaginative cinematography that is extraordinarily appealing to they eye and the mind.  The best character used in the film is Marva’s cat, which brings a refreshing wind to the cinematic experience.  This conveys that regardless of the quality of the film, the Coen’s can truly allure the audience with visually intriguing stories as they will continue to mesmerize large audiences with each and every opportunity.

DIRECTED BY

Ethan Coen
Joel Coen

COUNTRY

USA

Filmography links and data courtesy of