We Ranked All of the Coen Brothers' Movies, From Raising Arizona to The Tragedy of Macbeth

Author:
Samuel R. Murrian
Jan 14, 2022

On Jan. 14, Joel Coen's highly acclaimed film-noir take on Shakespeare's "Scottish Play," The Tragedy of Macbeth, hits Apple TV+ after bowing in theaters on Christmas Day. As critics have already gushed, the brooding drama starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand is ethereal, exquisitely executed and masterfully performed—a worthy, even outstanding addition to the Coen canon, even as it marks the first time that Joel Coen has directed a feature without his usual filmmaking partner, brother Ethan Coen.

The Oscar-winning siblings' films always strive for excellence; they often school other directors of our time in technical wizardry, and find exceptional entertainment value through intelligent humor, unforgettable characters—and, frequently, graphic violence.

To celebrate the release of likely Oscar contender The Tragedy of Macbeth, we're ranking the Coen Brothers' entire oeuvre worst to best—or perhaps more precisely, from misfire to masterpiece. For this ranking of films from nearly four full decades and counting, we're taking into account all pictures' overall greatness, how well they've aged, and contribution to pop culture.

Here's our definitive ranking of all Coen brothers movies. Unless otherwise specified, all titles are available to rent and purchase across major platforms.

Coen Brothers movies ranked

**19. The Ladykillers (2004)**

If the Coens have made one actively bad motion picture, it's probably this misguided swing at black comedy. Based on an exponentially superior British film of the same name, this over-the-top farce stars Tom Hanks as a Southern gent spearheading a crime plot from the home of a kindly god-fearing lady. The Ladykillers has one really good, grounded performance from Irma P. Hall, and some laughs courtesy of Tom Hanks and J.K. Simmons. Other than that, it's a circus that's just tiring.

**18. Intolerable Cruelty (2003)**

George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones are gazillion-watt movie stars who deserve better than this vanilla corporate romance that—to their credit—they inherited from the studio. Here's one of many times in the past 20 years or so prominent filmmakers have attempted to modernize the classic screwball comedy palate and rhythms of Preston Sturges and Ernst Lubitsch... and it didn't really work. It probably never will.

Certainly thanks to the A-list star salaries, this remains the Coens' most expensive production ever, with a reported $60 million budget.

17. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

Tim Robbins and the ever-resplendent Paul Newman shine in an Expressionistic period comedy that gradually loses steam and lacks connective tissue. It's stylish and often funny, but lacks the gritty nuance that makes the best Coen films—including the comedies—unforgettable.

16. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson star in the Coens' runaway musical hit that's also a loose adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey. The first movie in history to be digitally color-corrected, the breezy, witty and highly pleasurable O Brother looks and sounds great—but doesn't leave as much of an imprint as the finest Coen films.

The best part? Hands-down, it's the film's iconic soundtrack (a must-have that was everywhere in the months surrounding the film's release) that is one of two soundtracks in history to win Album of the Year at the Grammys.

15. The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)

This dreamy black-and-white neo-noir stars Billy Bob Thornton as a chain-smoking barber who haplessly attempts a blackmail scheme. Co-starring McDormand and James Gandolfini, The Man Who Wasn't There is a low-key but sure-handed effort that never aims far beyond its genre—but that's more of an observation than a criticism. Released mere weeks after 9/11, The Man Who Wasn't There perhaps didn't get all the credit it deserved at the time. A minor triumph.

14. Burn After Reading (2008)

Convoluted is actually, hilariously, the point in this outrageous sleeper hit crime comedy whose killer ensemble cast includes George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, John Malkovich, Simmons and McDormand—all very clearly having a blast that transmits to the audience. Amusingly morbid, Burn After Reading was photographed by Emmanuel Lubezki a few years before he broke Academy records with three consecutive Oscar wins.

Related: Best Comedies on Netflix

13. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

The Coens' anthology Western (available on Netflix) is made of six vignettes ranging from absurd to truly provocative. As is inevitable with any anthology film, some parts are more resonant than others, but each film works. Nominated for three Oscars, including Best Adapted Screenplay.

12. Miller's Crossing (1990)

Written, directed and produced by the Coen Brothers, Miller's Crossing is a brilliant gangster picture that represents some of the best of the crime genre without transcending it. Characteristically superb turns from Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, Albert Finney and Turturro accompany aesthetic achievements of the highest order.

11. True Grit (2010)

The Coens' sole remake to date is arguably an improvement over a classic Western; the only real criticism we have is that a remake wasn't really necessary. Jeff Bridges embodies iconic boozy lawman Rooster Cogburn so completely it's worthy of John Wayne's legacy, but Oscar-nominated, 13-year-old Hailee Steinfeld upstages everyone; this character-rich, exciting and touching film launched her career.

10. Hail, Caesar! (2016)

Next-level production design and cinematography, big laughs and a uniformly excellent all-star ensemble cast (including Josh Brolin, Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Ralph Fiennes and McDormand) sizzle in a retro 1950s-set comedy loosely based on a real-life Hollywood “fixer.” Joyous and dazzling, if episodic and lightweight compared to the top-shelf films on this list.

9. The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

Black and white photo of man staring pensively

Washington and McDormand, already two of the most celebrated actors of our time, deliver career-highlight performances in Joel Coen‘s ethereal take on the Bard. Composer Carter Burwell deserves his first Oscar nod for an entrancing score in this remarkable vision of Shakespeare gone film noir. The best part of the moody thriller is Kathryn Hunter as all three witches, which must be seen to be believed.

8. Raising Arizona (1987)

The Coens' uproarious farce stars Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter as a couple who help them themselves to one fifth of an affluent family’s quintuplets. Raising Arizona frequently appears on any list of the best American comedies ever made.

7. A Serious Man (2009)

A little less than a decade before he killed us with that monologue at the end of Call Me By Your Name, Michael Stuhlbarg gave a tragicomic tour de force in the Coens' mesmerizingly unpleasant spin on the Book of Job. Stuhlbarg plays a Minnesota man having a crisis of faith as his life slowly burns around him. It's a grueling, even punishing watch; best of luck turning away.

6. Barton Fink (1991)

At this point in the list (and maybe even before it), we're discussing top tier Coen pictures, all extraordinary films. An early Coens masterpiece is essentially Writer's Block: The Movie, a ripper of a black comedy set in 1940s New York and Hollywood, a feature that performed a rare sweep at Cannes—winning that festival's Palme D'Or, Best Director and Best Actor for Turturro.