THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE
Special Features: 25th Anniversary | 4K Restoration | Intro by Imani Davis, Film Programmer, American Cinematheque, on Mon, June 15, 9:30 p.m.
The seemingly simple barber Ed Crane (Billy Bob Thornton) lives a dull, dissatisfied life in his small 1949 California town. When customer Creighton Tolliver (Joe Polito) convinces Ed to invest in a dry-cleaning scheme, Ed secretly blackmails department store magnate “Big Dave” Brewster (James Gandolfini) — whom he suspects of having an affair with his wife, Doris (Frances McDormand) — for $10,000, but Ed’s plans quickly go awry in spectacular fashion. Shot in glorious black and white by Oscar® winner Roger Deakins, the Coen brothers’ homage to crime-fiction novelist James M. Cain is a moody, existential meta-noir. Joel Coen won his third Best Director award from the Cannes Film Festival with this film, a feat no other filmmaker has yet accomplished. DIR/SCR Joel Coen; SCR/PROD Ethan Coen. UK/U.S., 2001, b&w, 116 min. RATED R
4K Restoration by the Criterion Collection and Universal Pictures, supervised and approved by director of photography Roger Deakins.
About Imani Davis
Imani Davis is film programmer at the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles, and also a producer and writer. At the American Cinematheque, a 501c3 nonprofit boasting over 1,600 film screenings a year, Imani has worked to put on events with A-list filmmakers and talent such as Timothée Chalamet, Sofia Coppola, Spike Lee, Sean Baker, Jordan Peele, Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), Damien Chazelle, Christopher Nolan and many more. Imani is also the founder and lead programmer of the American Cinematheque's short film festival called PROOF, the only festival completely dedicated to proof-of-concept short films, which has resulted in projects coming to fruition and premiering at festivals such as Sundance and Rotterdam.
Run Time: 116 Minutes
Opening Date: Saturday, June 13, 2026
Genre: Crime drama
Introduction