The Man Who Wasn’t There
2021 is tight approaching and it ’s fascinating to consider we ’re nearly 20 eld on from a truly unequaled year in cinema . 2001 remains the only yr of the current century to not feature a major superhero movie , though Sam Raimi’sSpider - Mandropped its first trailer afterward that twelvemonth . Mega - franchises , likeLord of the RingsandHarry Potter , were just make believe their theatrical unveiling , while base Juggernaut , likeBatman , were stuck in development hell .
However , like any other year , 2001 also features several movies that may have been leave in the Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin of time . While Academy Award - winners such asA Beautiful Mindtend to remain in the public mental lexicon longer , others may not , make it worthwhile to revisit the pic that may have untimely come and gone in the last 20 years .
The Majestic
newly off of hisrun of critically - praised performancesinThe Truman ShowandMan on the Moon , Jim Carrey teamed up withThe Shawshank Redemptiondirector Frank Darabont in this 1950s point piece . In the moving picture , Carrey take on a screenwriter named Peter Appleton who is exiled from Hollywood , suffers amnesia , and is welcome into a raw town after being mistaken for a long - lose World War II vet advert Luke Trimble .
Despite Carrey and Darabont ’s affaire , The Majesticreceived poor reviews after its release and only made back about half of its $ 72 million dollar budget . criticise for its bloated and overly - sentimental story , the movie remains one to watch , largely thanks to the gift of Carrey , Darabont , and the rich sustain cast .
Blow
Blowis certainly one of Johnny Depp ’s lesser - know movies , telling the story of American drug - contrabandist George Jung and his dealings with the Colombian Cartel and eventual incarceration . After its release , the film was critique as piddling more than a rehash of better bio - pic flick , likeGoodfellasandBoogie Nights , and it faded into obscurity .
At times , it feels difficult to remember a world before Depp was Captain Jack Sparrow . Yet prior to his role as the splashy pirate , Depp was actually fairly normally cast in smaller budget movies portraying real - life figures , notably Ed Wood , Joseph D. Pistone , Hunter S. Thompson ’s alter ego , and Jung .
Bandits
In this crime caper dramedy , Billy Bob Thornton and Bruce Willis bring two bank robbers known as the " Sleepover Bandits , " who expend the night at depository financial institution owners ' homes before robbing their camber the next dawning . Along for the ride is Cate Blanchett , who , along with Thorton , earned a Golden Globe nomination for her use as the aloof Kate .
The pic unforgettably geminate Thornton and Willis together again after they did n’t share nearly enough blind - time inArmageddon . Blanchett ’s character instigates a humourous love triangle with the two criminals , pitting the alpha - male Joe ( Willis ) against Thornton ’s hypochondriac Terry . The movie suffer at time from generic machinations and plot , but the three actors , especially Thornton , still make it a worthwhile caper to revisit .
61*
This HBO movie starring Barry Pepper and Thomas Jane tells the story of Roger Maris ' 1961 record - setting baseball time of year while playing for the New York Yankees . Over the path of the season , Maris ( Pepper ) would amazingly arrogate his more well - known mate , Mickey Mantle ( Jane ) , as the domicile discharge champion , despite Mantle being the initial odds - on pet . This caused the quieter , reclusive Maris to live acute stress under the pressure of death threats and the commissioner stating the record would descend with an asterisk , for occurring in more games than Ruth want .
Directed by native New Yorker Billy Crystal , whose love for baseball feel very apparent,61*is simply an fantabulous baseball movie . watch crystal fastidiously remade Detroit ’s Tiger Stadium to look like 1960 ’s Yankee Stadium and directed Pepper to a Golden Globe nomination for his body of work in the movie .
Made
Seven geezerhood before send the MCU ’s inaugural titleIron Man , Jon Favreau made his directorial debut withMade . The criminal offence comedy stars Favreau and Vince Vaughn , making the moving picture a religious successor to the duet ’s 1996 outingSwingers , but with no account connections .
Madecontinued to establishFavreau ’s threefold - terror capabilitiesas a author , director , and actor . The moving-picture show would n’t share the same success asSwingersin the cultural zeitgeist , but it allowed Favreau to cover making a name for himself as he directed bounteous and broader moving-picture show on his mode towards grandfathering in the MCU .
Ali
Released on Christmas Day 2001,Alifeatures Will Smith propel beyond his " Big Willie Style " 90s persona andtowards his first Oscar - nominated function . direct by acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann and co - asterisk Jamie Foxx and Jon Voight ( who was also make for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor ) , the movie focus on a 10 - twelvemonth portion of the life of legendary boxer Muhammed Ali in the 60s and 70s .
Aliwas generally well - received by critics but curiously ignored by audiences at the box office . Mann elect to take both in the United States and in Africa , raise the production ’s budget and potentially add to the overall fiscal losses the movie suffered .
Monster’s Ball
On the same night that Denzel Washington took home an Academy Award forTraining Day , Halle Berry would do the sameforMonster ’s bollock , marking the first clock time in story that two disastrous actor make headway the award in the same class .
Though both films are well - reckon for their strong performance and compelling narration , Monster ’s Ballseemingly has n’t revel the same form of visible length of service thatTraining Dayhas . This is by no fault of the narration , which differentiate two compelling , cross report , that of Leticia Musgrove ( Berry ) , a struggle individual mother , and Hank Grotowski ( Billy Bob Thornton ) , a correctional officer raised from a bigoted founding father . After Hank participates in Leticia ’s husband ’s execution , the duad eventually form a romantic relationship , as Hank reforms himself over the course of the taradiddle .
The Others
The Othersis a mediaeval repulsion narrative fromSpanish - Chilean director Alejandro Amenábar , sport Nicole Kidman as a mother of two attempting to bring out the enigma of " the others " within her home . take preponderantly in Spain , the $ 17 million point piece take in over $ 200 million worldwide , earning several prize nomination along the way .
Amenábar choose to concentrate on the characters and the plot over cheap leap panic attack , leaving the moving picture to trample closely at times to 1999’sThe Sixth Sensein terms of atmospheric state and storytelling . However , Amenábar ’s direction and the unique and understated tone allows it to still feel like its own entity . Overall , the movie did well in both the United States and Spain , delivering a scary experience for revulsion and non - horror rooter alike .
Ghost World
Based on the mid-90s laughable Koran of the same name , Ghost Worldbecame an under - the - radar vital darling in the summer of 2001 . The movie stars Thora Birch andfuture Black Widow Scarlett Johanssonas two high school outcasts who have a shared disdain for most thing . They cut through paths with a lonely older valet de chambre , played by Steve Buscemi , who is similarly detached from the societal normality of the human beings .
Though the movie did n’t have a large theatrical run , it find out grassroots success , thanks to its naturalistic characters and relatable themes of alienation and conformity , making it one of 2001 ’s best movies , overall . Director Terry Zwigoff and screenwriter Daniel Clowes ( who write the comic ) manage to craft a disconsolate and endear motion picture , one which somehow feels even more relatable today than it did 20 years ago .
The Coen Brothers are an absolutely entrancing unit , capable of cast out timeless classics such asNo Country For Old MenandThe Big Lebowski , while also releasing under - the - radar gems likeThe Man Who Was n’t There . Billy Bob Thornton ’s third film of 2001 defecate it ’s mode onto this list thanks in expectant part to Thornton ’s chamaeleon - like play chops and the Coens ' film noir setting .
Also star Scarlett Johansson and Coen regulars Frances McDormand and Richard Jenkins , The human race Who Was n’t Theredoesn’t feel like a picture that should go unnoticed for many old age , and yet when you put outas many muffin as the Coen Brothersdo , that ’s just what can happen .
NEXT:10 Unmade Coen Brothers Movies We ’re Still Hoping For
