See, I knew I was right when I said you occasionally contributed something worthwhile here. :p

This one doesn't quite make my Top Ten, but it's damn close.

A true comedic tribute to film noire, minus the jokes, and one of the most underrated films I've ever seen.

And yes, Tony Shaloub absolutely steals the show, doesn't he? [/b][/quote]Thanks plaw

I do really love how the Coens were able to take the noire genre, add a little bit of their own flavor and some ironic humor, and really update an older style of filmmaking without destroying the concept. They really seem to have chosen the exact right person for each role, I especially loved James Gandolfini here, I had only ever seen him in maybe one movie or two before this. And Billy Bob Thornton is great. There's very few actors who I feel could pull off that role, where their character has almost zero lines spoken onscreen, and still make it interesting.

I think the reason that this film didnt do very well or isnt very widely known is simply because of how different it is. You cant really accurately market it or categorize it under any existing genre. I forget what I was thinking when I went into it the first time. I feel like anyone who likes Fargo, Miller's Crossing, The Big Lebowski, or any other Coen films, really just need to go into this with no expecations whatsoever, because chances are whatever you think it might be like will be wrong.

To tell you the truth, I had been kind of rethinking my placement of this film, but after you made your comments, seeing your support and just thinking about it some more, I feel like the film definetly deserves that #6 spot.