‘Ladykillers’ a light, fun film

JOHN DEPKO

The movies of the Coen brothers are famous for quirky characters

caught up in bizarre circumstances of their own making.

Inevitably, one bad decision leads to another and a strange

situation becomes even more absurd, as unforeseen developments

catapult the players into a positively surreal state of affairs.

In “Fargo,” this formula took a darker turn. In “Oh Brother, Where

Art Thou?” things lightened up a bit but got even more peculiar.

In “The Ladykillers,” we get the same satiric wit applied to

another bumbling would-be criminal enterprise that does not end as

any of the players imagined. As always, first-rate acting is at the

heart of the film’s appeal. Tom Hanks is perfect as the pompous

Professor Dorr, a Col. Sanders look-alike who wants to be the

mastermind of a riverboat casino heist. He gathers a crew of misfits

and miscreants with very dubious qualifications to assist in the

operation. Each member brings his own comic reason for being to the

endeavor. And each contributes at least one bombshell to the

unfolding disaster.

Tom Hanks’ snobby professor stands in stark contrast to the

foul-mouthed Marlon Wayans, who plays the janitor who is the inside

man at the casino job. The other supporting players bring true grit

to their roles. The snappy screenplay extracts every possible laugh

from their wild and obvious foibles. But the real star of this film

is the down-home Mississippi Mama played by Irma Hall. She steals the

show as the tough-talking, righteous Christian owner of the boarding

house where the professor’s band of losers plays out their delusions

of grandeur.

This is probably the Coen Brothers’ most lightweight effort to

date, yet they still manage to stomp all over the limits of ordinary

comedy. It is definitely a farce not to be taken seriously on any

level, but it has enough charm and twisted poetic justice to leave

you laughing and happily amused at the end.

* JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator

for the Orange County public defender’s office.