I am a big fan of the Coen brothers - their films are witty, intelligent and quirky as all get out. O Brother Where Art Thou is no exception.
Loosely based on Homer's epic poem The Odyssey, the story follows three depression-era convicts who escape a Mississipi chain gang and go on a quest for treasure.
George Clooney shows versatility and great comic-timing as the silver-tongued ringleader, Ulysses Everett McGill. There are various nods to The Odyssey - John Goodman plays a one-eyed baddie (a cyclops), the gang meet the sirens, a blind seer, and at one point Pete appears to be turned into a frog - and a multitude of visual and verbal jokes.
John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson play the other escapees, while Holly Hunter is Everett's estranged wife.
The bluegrass soundtrack is outstanding, the performances sparkle and the director of photography, Roger Deakins, uses an old-time colour palette that gives it a unique feel.
This is actually one of my favourite Coen movies - gentler and more relaxed than some, but still whip-smart and hysterically funny.
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