Coen Brothers' Reputation (02:27)

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Brothers Joel and Ethan Coen are independent filmmakers. They examine people through a cynical, forensic, lens.

"Blood Simple" (04:09)

The Coens were born in Minnesota three years apart. They were introduced to international films at a young age. Joel studied film in college and Ethan attended Princeton.

"Raising Arizona" (02:49)

Holly Hunter and Nicolas Cage star in this 1987. It makes $22 million at the box office and changes how film studies perceived the Coen brothers.

"Miller's Crossing (02:34)

This 1990 gangster film stars Albert Finney and Gabriel Byrne. It was a critical success.

"Barton Fink" (02:01)

John Turturro and John Goodman star in this dark 1991 film about writer's block. It was a critical success and won an award at the Cannes Film Festival.

"Fargo (03:03)

This 1996 film by the Coen brothers was a box office success. It is a story about murder in Minnesota starring John. H Macy. Frances McDermott plays Marge Gunderson; she won an Oscar for best actor.

"The Big Lebowski (02:29)

The Coen brothers reunite with Turturro and Goodman in this 1998 film starring Jeff Bridges and Steve Buscemi.

"O Brother, Where Art Thou?" (01:55)

This film released, in 1990, is set in 1930s Mississippi. It is a quest story starring George Clooney, Tim Blake Nelson, and Turturro.

"The Man Who Wasn't There" (02:00)

Billy Bob Thornton, Scarlett Johansson, and McDermott star in this 2001 film noir.

"Intolerable Cruelty" (02:07)

The Coens reunite with Clooney in this film that also stars Catherine Zeta-Jones.

"No Country for Old Men" (04:32)

"The Ladykillers" is a remake of a classic comedy. This thriller released in 2007 stars Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin. The Coen brothers won best picture and best director at the Academy Awards.

"A Serious Man" (02:26)

Michael Stuhlbarg plays a physics professor in this 2009 film. The movie has an autobiographical quality since the Coen brothers grew up the children of Jewish academics.

"True Grit (02:48)

The Coens reunite with Bridges in this 2010 film based on the novel by Charles Portis. It was a critical and box office success.

"Hail, Caesar!" (04:29)

This 2016 film is a period comedy that examines 1950s Hollywood. It stars Josh Brolin and Clooney.

Credits: Coen Brothers (The Directors, Season 7) (00:36)

Credits: Coen Brothers (The Directors, Season 7)