The Man Who Wasn't There
Synopsis
A tale of murder, crime and punishment set in the summer of 1949. Ed Crane, a barber in a small California town, is dissatisfied with his life, but his wife Doris' infidelity and a mysterious opportunity presents him with a chance to change it.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
Joel & Ethan Coen on THE MAN WHO WASN’T THEREOfficial
Type: Featurette • Published 2026-02-26
Top Cast
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Billy Bob Thornton
Ed Crane
Frances McDormand
Doris Crane
Michael Badalucco
Frank
James Gandolfini
Big Dave Brewster
Katherine Borowitz
Ann Nirdlinger Brewster
Jon Polito
Creighton Tolliver
Scarlett Johansson
Birdy Abundas
Richard Jenkins
Walter Abundas
Tony Shalhoub
Freddy Riedenschneider
Christopher Kriesa
Officer Persky
Brian Haley
Officer Krebs
Jack McGee
P.I. Burns
Gregg Binkley
The New Man
Alan Fudge
Dr. Diedrickson
Lilyan Chauvin
Medium
Adam Alexi-Malle
Jacques Carcanogues
Ted Rooney
Bingo Caller
Abraham Benrubi
Party Man
Release History & Theatrical Window
Vienna International Film Festival
Festival / Special Debut
November 2, 2001
Wide Cinema Exhibition
September 8, 2015
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$20M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$18.9M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
0.95x
-$1.1M deficit
Theatrical Status
Budget Return
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
- Screenplay & Story
- Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
- Original Score
- Carter Burwell
- Original Title
- The Man Who Wasn't There
- Country of Origin
- United Kingdom, United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- English, Italian, French
- Runtime
- 1h 56m
- Production Budget
- $20M
- Worldwide Gross
- $18.9M
- Production Studios
- USA Films, Working Title, Mike Zoss Productions
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Carter Burwell
Roger Deakins
Ethan Coen, Tricia Cooke, Joel Coen
Ethan Coen, Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan, Joel Coen
Department Leadership Roster
Joel Coen
Director
Ethan Coen
Editor
Carter Burwell
Original Music Composer
Roger Deakins
Director of Photography
Tricia Cooke
Editor
Ethan Coen
Producer
Mary Zophres
Costume Design
Dennis Gassner
Production Design
Joel Coen
Editor
Janek Sirrs
Visual Effects Supervisor
Joel Coen
Writer
Ethan Coen
Writer
Joel Coen
Producer
Jery Hewitt
Stunt Coordinator
Ethan Coen
Director
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
R: Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
International Certification Matrix
FSK 12 — Restricted to viewers aged 12 and older.
Suitable only for 15 years and over.
Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for The Man Who Wasn't There.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring The Man Who Wasn't There.
Favorite Actresses
Movie Collection
My Movies
Master List In Progress
Criterion Collection
The Complete Criterion Collection. The Criterion Collection is a video distribution company that sells 'important classic and contemporary films' in editions that offer the highest technical quality. This list contains only the featured films released on DVD, BluRay and 4K Criterion releases — no supplements are included. Organized by spine number with the newest releases first. CC标准收藏完整收录版： 收录标准收藏（Criterion Collection）发行的重要经典及当代电影。仅包含正片（涵盖 DVD、蓝光及 4K 版本），已排除花絮补充内容。按 CC 发行编号倒序排列（最新发行在前）。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#214] Mangrove (2020) • [#215] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#216] Red, White and Blue (2020) • [#217] Alex Wheatle (2020) • [#486] Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day (1972) • [#647] Dekalog (1989) • [#944] World on a Wire (1973) • [#1187] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#1338] Fanny and Alexander (1984) • [#1341] Tanner '88 (1988) • [#1371] Scenes from a Marriage (1973) *注：以下影片因 TMDB 尚未收录，暂不在此片单中展示：* • [#531] First (2012) • [#1699] Ulysse (1983) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-11 07:39:08 UTC+8)*
vison of mind
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Frequently Asked Questions About The Man Who Wasn't There
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is The Man Who Wasn't There about?
A tale of murder, crime and punishment set in the summer of 1949. Ed Crane, a barber in a small California town, is dissatisfied with his life, but his wife Doris' infidelity and a mysterious opportunity presents him with a chance to change it.
Who directed The Man Who Wasn't There?
The Man Who Wasn't There was directed by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen.
Who stars in The Man Who Wasn't There?
The principal cast of The Man Who Wasn't There includes Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, Michael Badalucco, James Gandolfini, Katherine Borowitz.
When was The Man Who Wasn't There released and how long is it?
The Man Who Wasn't There was released in 2001 with a total runtime of 1h 56m.
What was the box office and production budget of The Man Who Wasn't There?
The Man Who Wasn't There had a reported production budget of $20M and grossed $18.9M at the worldwide box office (0.95 return on budget, classified as a underperformed).
Who composed the musical score for The Man Who Wasn't There?
The original motion picture soundtrack for The Man Who Wasn't There was composed by Carter Burwell.
What is the age rating and content advisory for The Man Who Wasn't There?
The Man Who Wasn't There holds official age classifications: DE: 12 (FSK 12 — Restricted to viewers aged 12 and older.); FR: TP; GB: 15 (Suitable only for 15 years and over.); US: R (Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.).