Rating: R
Genre:
Crime
Theatrical Release: 03/26/2004(USA)
Release Date: 09/07/2004
SubTitles: French/Espanol
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: DD5.1
Run Time: 104 Minutes
Flags: Violence, Not For Children, Profanity
Distributor/Studio: Walt Disney Video
One of the best-loved films from the idiosyncratic British film studio
Ealing Pictures gets an update from the equally idiosyncratic filmmaking team of
Joel and
Ethan Coen in this offbeat
comedy.
Marva Munson (
Irma P. Hall) is a spry, elderly woman who attends church regularly, doesn't care for loud noises or harsh language, and is looking for a tenant for the spare room in her house. Enter
Goldthwait Higginson Dorr (
Tom Hanks), a silver-tongued college professor who moves in and gains
Munson's permission to use the basement for rehearsals with his "medieval music ensemble." What
Munson doesn't know is that
Dorr's latest project is not academic, but criminal.
Dorr is masterminding the robbery of a riverboat casino, and the fellow musicians in his ensemble are actually the crew he's assembled to pull off the job: foul-mouthed "inside man"
Gawain (
Marlon Wayans), clumsy demolitions expert
Pancake (
J.K. Simmons), quiet strong-arm man
Lump (
Ryan Hurst), and logistical expert
The General (
Tzi Ma). Despite the best efforts of
Dorr and his cohorts (which aren't very impressive),
Munson finds out about their scheme, and when she refuses to accept a share of the take in exchange for her silence,
Dorr decides the best solution is to silence her permanently. The
gospel tunes which grace the soundtrack to
The Ladykillers were coordinated by
T-Bone Burnett, who also helped assemble the acclaimed song score for the Coen brothers'
O Brother, Where Art Thou?.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
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