 Movie
Reviews
with Evelyn Gough
The Lady Killers (M)
Written & directed by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
 When Goldthwait Higginson Dorr, PhD (Academy Award-winner Tom Hanks, left), concocts the plot for the perfect heist, he rents a room from unsuspecting church lady Mrs Munson (Irma P Hall).
Confession time. I went into this remake of The Lady Killers already prejudiced because I'm a huge fan of the 1955 original - a classic British black comedy starring Alec Guinness, Herbert Lom and Peter Sellers, to name just a few.
Sure, Tom Hanks is a great actor but let's face it, those 50s icons are a tough act to follow. But you have to give the Coen brothers credit for giving it a go.
Was it a good idea? Well at first, I didn't think so. The award-winning filmmakers have made some significant changes, moving the action from London to a tiny town called Saucier in America's south and setting it in the here and now.
Hanks plays Professor Goldthwaite Higginson Dorr the 3rd, PhD, the mastermind behind a daring scheme to rob the local riverboat casino. His plan is to dig a tunnel from the house closest to the boat, right into the cash room of the casino and make off with over $1 million. But first he must rent a room in the aforementioned house and gain the trust of its owner, the elderly Mrs Munson (Irma P Hall), a devout churchgoer who cannot abide that ghastly "hipperty-hop" music.
After sweet-talking his way into the old lady's home, the professor's next task is to advertise for a gang of "experts" to assist him in his crime. His recruits include the foul-mouthed casino employee Gawain McSam (Marlon Wayans), tunnel expert The General (Tzi Ma), the all brawn no brain lump Hudson (Ryan Hurst) and explosives expert Pancake (J K Simmons).
Now they just have to keep Mrs Munson happily in the dark, pretending to rehearse 'church music' in her root cellar while they secretly dig their tunnel, watched over by Pickles the cat.
Like I said, despite the fact that I'm a big Coen brother's fan, I had misgivings about this film and at first they appeared to be justified. Tom Hank's character seemed to be suffering from a bad case of verbal diarrhoea but at least I could understand what he was saying. Unlike Marlon Wayans who needed subtitles.
I was however very impressed with Pickle's performance. The feline was fabulous.
Ok, it did take me a while but I eventually warmed to this version of The Lady Killers. Yep, they won me over.
Despite myself I am unable to resist the Coen brothers deliciously dark sense of the ridiculous. Be prepared to laugh out loud. There are some truly hilarious moments in this black comedy.
Rating: 
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