The Cohen brothers are renowned for producing films that are both offbeat in plot and humour. Their latest effort is no different. Based on Homer's Odyssey, O Brother is the story of three escaped Mississippi chain-gangers who are on a race against time to reach a hidden stash of money. Along the way they encounter the kind of weird and wonderful characters that only the Cohen's could create.
Leading the trio is the hair obsessed Everett McGill (Clooney), who has hidden the cash. Following gamely are fellow chain-gangers Pete (Turturro) and Delmar (Nelson). The journey to the hidden stash is far from straight forward for the trio. As well as being pursued by the local sheriff (Daniel Von Bargen), the trio find their progress slowed by numerous characters, including cow hating bank robber Baby Face Nelson (Michael Badalucco) and dodgy preacher Big Dan (Goodman).
Music plays an important part in proceedings. The trio team up with a musician called Tommy Johnson (Chris Thomas King), form the Soggy Bottom Boys and unbeknown to them, record the most popular song in the land. The boys also have a run in with the local all-singing, all-dancing Klu Klux Klan. Add on an authentic soundtrack to accompany the adventure and O Brother is the closest you're going to get to a musical in cinemas this year.
Like all Cohen brothers films, it is the characters that take centre stage. Tim Blake Nelson shines as the dim-witted and naïve Delmar, where as Cohen's stalwart John Goodman is in scene-stealing form as the anything, but righteous Preacher Big Dan. But the real star of the show is Clooney. In a surprisingly hilarious performance, he shows a real talent not only for delivering comical one-liners, but also for physical comedy. It's a brave departure from his previous work, but Clooney has delivered one of the finest comic performances of recent years.
O Brother is probably as close to a mainstream audience film as the Cohen's are ever likely to produce. It is not without fault. The limited screen time given to Von Bargen's Sheriff almost makes you forget that the boys are on the run and it suffers from a lack of pace at times, but O Brother is one of the films of 2000. Although it is unlikely to attract the large audience that it deserves, O Brother is pure cinema at its finest.
entfirst Score: 9/10
