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Tom Hanks, Marlon Wayans, J.K. Simmons, Irma P. Hall, Tzi Ma ... see more see more... , Ryan Hurst , George Wallace (II) , Diane Delano , Stephen Root , Jason Weaver , Greg Grunberg

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. Marv... read more read more...a 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, Rovi

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40% liked it

62,871 ratings

Critics

55% liked it

186 critics

R, 1 hr. 44 min.

Directed by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Release Date: March 26, 2004

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DVD Release Date: September 7, 2004

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Stats: 3,066 reviews

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Tom Hanks in The Ladykillers (2004) Tom Hanks in The Ladykillers (2004) Marlon Wayans, Irma P. Hall, Tom Hanks in The Ladykillers (2004) Tom Hanks, Marlon Wayans in The Ladykillers (2004) Tom Hanks, Marlon Wayans, J.K. Simmons, Ryan Hurst, Tzi Ma in The Ladykillers (2004) Tom Hanks, Irma P. Hall in The Ladykillers (2004) Irma P. Hall in The Ladykillers (2004) Tom Hanks, J.K. Simmons, Ryan Hurst, Tzi Ma in The Ladykillers (2004) Ethan Coen, Joel Coen in The Ladykillers (2004) Irma P. Hall, Marlon Wayans in The Ladykillers (2004) The Ladykillers (2004) Tom Hanks, Irma P. Hall, Marlon Wayans in The Ladykillers (2004) Irma P. Hall, Tzi Ma in The Ladykillers (2004) Marlon Wayans, J.K. Simmons in The Ladykillers (2004) Scene for The Ladykillers (2004) Irma P. Hall, Tom Hanks in The Ladykillers (2004) Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Tom Hanks in The Ladykillers (2004) Irma P. Hall at church in The Ladykillers (2004)
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Flixster Reviews (3,066)

  • fb100002359227440
    May 27, 2011
    fb100002359227440
    Coen brothers flaw. The Ladykillers (2004) is nothing like the original.
  • MrMarakai
    April 21, 2011
    MrMarakai
    The Coen Brothers' recent remake of "True Grit" was exceptionally better than the original. The same can't really be said with this one, as it's a lesser effort from the brothers. However, the Coens off form can still be better and more enjoyable than most on it.
    Polite and eloq... read moreuent Southern gentleman, Professor Goldthwait Higginson Dorr III, (Tom Hanks) rents a room from churchgoing widow Marva Munsen (Irma P. Hall), then plots a daring heist in her basement with an ill-chosen group of accomplices disguised as purveyors of religious music. They soon fall foul of their gospel-clutching landlady and as they desperately attempt to eradicate her, it's themselves who one-by-one pop their devious clogs.
    Once again the Coens working with cinematographer Roger Deakins deliver a film that is crisp and sharphly detailed. Their usual ingredients are all here, except for one thing and that's surprisingly the one thing the Coens are most accomplished at; a tight screenplay. The film takes too long to set up the heist and by the time the plan is foiled and the whole deal goes south, the film is drawing to a close and leaves you with an unsatisfied feeling of what could have been. The cast do a fine job, but with the characters on show I couldn't help wanting to see some of the old tried-and-tested ensemble of actors the Coens regularly employ; Steve Buscemi, John Turturro or Jon Polito could have fitted in nicely here. Marlon Wayans is completely out of sorts. He seems as though he stepped off the set of a disasterous Ice Cube comedy. Other than him though, the cast are good. Irma P Hall is a joy as the sassy landlady, and it's great to see the Coens' new regulars J.K. Simmons and Stephen Root but the real star of the show is Tom Hanks. He's funnier than he's been in a long time and delivers a performance of such wily eccentricity -complete with southern gentlemanly accent - it's hard to take your eyes off him. It's one of my favourite Hanks performances and his effort deserved a better script to work with him. I just hope the Coens can find another role for him in the future. It's a collaboration I'd love to see again.
    This is probably my least favourite of the Coens' work but there's still plenty to enjoy and the gags are good enough to maintain a level of entertainment.
    A fine attempt at remaking the classic Ealing comedy of 1955, but it never quite excites the way the Coens are capable of and resorts to some heavy-handed slapstick.
    Tom Hanks adds a big reminder of how good he can be though, making it worthwhile just for him.
  • fb573414556
    April 20, 2011
    fb573414556
    5 random men attempt a bank robbery and hilarity ensues, apparently. The Ladykillers is not a bad film, but then again it is not a terrific one, don't get me wrong I enjoyed it but that was mostly because of the second half which revolves around attempting to kill an old lady and... read more what's not funny about that? The high point in this film for me was Marlon Wayans who play one of the most foul mouthed characters to ever grace film, he almost tops the amount of profaninty featured in the Window Licker. All in all a slow relatively laugh free first half and a second half which featured a few laughs makes this film enjoyable while it lasts but leaves you nothing to reminisce on afterwords.
  • lewiskendell
    August 24, 2010
    lewiskendell
    "The old woman is a more formidable antagonist than one had imagined."

    I'm a big fan of the Coens, and I'm always interested in a movie featuring the southern settings and people that I'm so familiar with. So, I can't help but be a little disappointed that The Ladykillers, which... read more should be an excellent combination of both those things, isn't better than it is.

    Other than Tom Hanks' slimy and loquacious charmer and Irma P. Hall as the elderly religious lady who unwittingly serves as the foil for the would-be thieves of the story, The Ladykillers really has little of note to make it worthy of a recommendation. Only glimpses of the Coens' trademark style shine through from time to time. And surprisingly, other than the two characters I previously mentioned, the rest are unremarkable, boring, annoying, or all of the above.

    The always watchable Hanls pushes this southern-fried black comedy slightly above mediocrity, but one can't help but guess that the Coens' grasp of their subject matter didn't extend far beyond picking some good gospel music.
  • ythelastman89
    June 12, 2010
    ythelastman89
    It is by no means the best from the Coen Brothers, but in no way is it a bad movie. While it doesn't have some of those great shots or well thought out storylines, it does have some great elements. The characters are what really sell the entire movie, the most strange being Tom H... read moreanks. I don't think he has ever done such a bizarre role before or since. While it does become a little bit too typical and moral in the end, it's go some good humor and moments.
  • Chiefilms
    March 20, 2010
    Chiefilms
    The Coens make great movies, but throughout their career they'll stumble and bust with a few. They busted here. It's a remake but the writing is actually weak sauce, a paradox. Very weak indeed and dim-witted, blame Marlon Wayans. Just kidding not really, Tom Hanks was a farf... read moreetched trouser snake delivering a completely forgettable performance. Irma P. Hall was mighty fine, thick as a brick like Jethro Tull and delicious at the same time, still going strong pushing 70. Sorry about that but good lawd!!
  • ScoopOnline
    December 29, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    Tom Hanks is a Random actor but his perfomance in this Movie was tiny bit shocking and a tiny bit not Tom Hanks alike.
  • SirPant
    October 2, 2009
    SirPant
    I think if anyone was going to make a decent contemporary remake of The Ladykillers it would be the Coen Brothers. Unfortunately, as much as they got the foundations right, their version is woefully miscast. They also seem to have swapped their usually brilliant script for downri... read moreght awful slapstick. The casting of Marlon Wayans was a huge mistake but that said, everyone else did a pretty good job, esp Tom Hanks and Irma P. Hall. I guess we?ve come to expect great things from the brothers Coen that this is a bit of a shock, luckily they?ve returned to form since. Everyone?s allowed a couple of mistakes eh!
  • flixsterman
    September 2, 2009
    flixsterman
    By far my least favorite Coen brothers' production. Why you ask? Mainly the foul language. I'm no Puritan, not by a long shot, and frankly I know many, many good films that you wouldn't talk about in Sunday School, but there is a line between realism and gratuitous obscenity. ... read more Even ex-sailors, like myself, don't use more than one or two f-bombs in a sentence, much less p-bombs, c-bombs and xyz-bombs. It's one thing to be embarrassed watching a film with your Mom, but if you can honestly say you'd be embarrassed to watch a film in a room full of construction workers then it's just too much.

    *NOTE: See also The Departed
  • sanjurosamurai
    August 26, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    while this is my least favorite of the coens films, i still enjoyed it. some of the deaths at the end clearly got out of hand, but the humor was fun, the story was enjoyable enough, and the film was made well. not great, but a solid watch for a night of escapism.

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Critic Reviews

David Edelstein
August 18, 2007
David Edelstein, Slate

The Ladykillers is small and compact -- it doesn't kill, it's just a doodle -- but it's a very pleasant cartoon for grown-ups. It's some sweet fodder. Full Review

Peter Rainer
August 7, 2004
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine

It's both lowdown and effete, a jamboree of whoopee jokes and sick wit. Full Review

Anthony Lane
August 1, 2004
Anthony Lane, New Yorker

Everybody in and around this movie is trying too hard.

J. Hoberman
March 30, 2004
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

There's the mind-numbing oompah rhythm of every gag telegraphed and every joke pounded into the ground. Full Review

Richard Roeper
March 29, 2004
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

Most of this stuff isn't worthy of the Farrelly brothers, let alone the Coen brothers. Full Review

Charles Taylor
March 27, 2004
Charles Taylor, Salon.com

Structured like a Mad magazine parody where there's a promised joke in each frame. It doesn't add up to a movie. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
March 27, 2004
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

The remake -- which could have been shot anywhere and probably was filmed on a studio back lot -- has almost nothing coherent to say about Mississippi, though it does recycle a few cliches. Full Review

Mark Jenkins
March 26, 2004
Mark Jenkins, Washington Post

Should give just about everyone who sees it a few laughs. But it will appeal most strongly to viewers who think Tom Hanks, who plays a thief and a potential murderer, can do no wrong.

Ann Hornaday
March 26, 2004
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

Although The Ladykillers is a skillfully executed caper movie, the fun lies not in its mechanics but in its characterizations, especially Hanks's and Hall's, and especially when they're together.

Claudia Puig
March 26, 2004
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Those seeking a quirky and clever comedy should hightail it to The Ladykillers forthwith. Full Review

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    • Marva Munson: There's a stranger in our midst come to destroy us.
    • Goldthwait Higginson Dorr: Y'all know what smote is! I smite! You smite! He smites! We done smote!
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The Ladykillers Trivia

  • In which movie is Tom Hanks's name G.H. Dorr Ph.D?  Answer »
  • What ties these movies together: O Brother Where Art Thou, Fargo, The Ladykillers, Raising Arizona, and The Big Lebowski?  Answer »
  • this movie included a non-speaking cameo by Bruce Campbell as a SPCA rep. (2004 version)  Answer »
  • Which British comedian had a cameo role in the Ealing comedy The Ladykillers?  Answer »
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