The Ladykillers

I wasn't really impressed by this movie and it doesn't measure up to its source material, even though it tries to appear more modern. Tom Hanks is surprisingly good in his role, as well as the supporting characters, and the Coen brothers gave it an interesting style, but I still don't think it works as a comedy fundamentally well. I didn't find it entertaining and the absurd ending didn't thrill me, and I actually enjoy absurd dramas. (03/31/2015)

Coen brothers let Hanks and Co. scream, run around, act weird, and perform various antics for so long that the viewer doesn't care anymore whether their plan succeeds in the end. Moreover, the ending is so desperately predictable that not even several malicious screenwriting ideas can help it. Placing this particular film between Intolerable Cruelty and No Country for Old Men in their biography is literally a sin. (07/09/2005)

The plot of the weak script (I don't care that it's a remake), drowned in poor directorial execution, is not yet a clear example of the Coen brothers' softening; rather, it is a prime example of them confidently "missing the mark." Everything that happened in the film could be told in a few minutes, but fortunately, these two gentlemen tell it differently, and thus the sequence of darkly humorous situations, mixed with an abundance of absurdities as if taken from Murphy's Law, should theoretically not keep you waiting for long. However, the only genuine joke that could be labeled as typically "Coen-esque" seems to be thrown into the film almost casually and has nothing to do with the plot – I'm referring to the filming of a commercial for dog food. In a plot that resembles Ocean's Eleven too much, we also encounter characters who lack any sort of energy, and we don't get any good jokes from them, making the film unwatchable, prolonged, and incredibly boring. When it ended (just as I expected) I somehow couldn't help my inner disillusionment and the question crept in subtly: "Have the Coen brothers really gone soft?" (08/20/2005)

One of the few remakes that is better than the original. It’s more brisk, more witty, more cynical, more black-humored... Just better. The Ladykillers is the perfect relaxing movie for me, a movie for every time of day, every season. The Coens knew exactly what the original film lacked.__P.S. I wonder how many people will get upset now when they read that I actually like The Ladykillers more than The Big Lebowski? (03/01/2011)

The Ladykillers starts out quite promisingly, but the Coens gradually run out of steam. The jokes aren’t as effective as they would have liked, and since practically all of the key twists, including the final one, are based on them, the film jumps around on one foot until the closing credits. Only Tom Hanks and the old lady, who was excellent, deserve extra praise. (07/16/2004)