The Ladykillers (2004)
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The story
Mrs. Marva Munson, a strict, religious, and elderly widow, agrees to let a classics professor named Goldthwaite Higginson Dorr use her root cellar for rehearsals of an early music ensemble. However, the musicians are actually a gang of criminals planning to dig a tunnel into a nearby riverboat casino's underground vault to steal its loot. As the group works to remove dirt and hide their activities, a series of mishaps—including a runaway cat, a lost job, and a visit from the local sheriff—threaten to derail their heist. Despite these obstacles, the gang manages to break through the vault wall and snatch the loot, only to be confronted by Mrs. Munson.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Mrs. Marva Munson, a religious widow, allows 'Professor' Goldthwaite Higginson Dorr to use her cellar for his music ensemble, which is actually a gang of criminals. The gang—consisting of Lump (the muscle), Garth Pancake (the effects technician), Gawain McSam (the inside man), and The General (the tunneling expert)—plans to tunnel into a nearby riverboat casino vault. After several mishaps, they successfully steal the loot. Mrs. Munson discovers the plot and demands the money be returned. Dorr tries to manipulate her by claiming he will donate the funds to a Bible college she admires, but she refuses. The gang decides to murder her. After a series of internal conflicts and accidents, Gawain is fatally shot by Garth; Garth is then killed by The General. The General then dies by accident after falling down the stairs while trying to kill Mrs. Munson in her sleep. Lump, having a change of heart, tries to shoot Dorr but accidentally shoots himself. Dorr is then killed when a gargoyle head falls from a bridge and knocks him into the river. Mrs. Munson finds the money in her basement, believes the criminals fled, and decides to donate it to Bob Jones University. The film ends with her cat dropping Garth's severed finger onto a barge.
- First release year
- 2004
- Runtime (minutes)
- 104
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Joel Coen; Ethan Coen
- Writers
- Joel Coen · writer; Ethan Coen · writer
- Cast and characters
- Tom Hanks · Goldthwaite Higginson Dorr, Ph.D; Irma P. Hall · Marva Munson; Marlon Wayans · Gawain MacSam; J. K. Simmons · Garth Pancake; Tzi Ma · The General; Ryan Hurst · Lump Hudson; Diane Delano · Mountain Girl; George Wallace · Sheriff Wyner
- Genres
- black comedy; crime thriller
- Themes
- Religion; Crime; Greed
- Tone and mood
- Black comedy; Crime thriller
- Premise and plot tags
- Remake; Heist; Southern Gothic
- Source material / true-story basis
- The 1955 British Ealing comedy film of the same name, written by William Rose.
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews and grossed $76 million worldwide. Many critics consider it one of the Coen brothers' weaker efforts, negatively comparing it to the British classic.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 54% · review count: 192 critics; Metacritic · score: 56 · scale: 100 · review count: 40 critics; CinemaScore · score: C · scale: A to F
- Awards and nominations
- Jury Prize · Irma P. Hall's performance · 2004 · won
- Production trivia
- It was the first film in which Joel and Ethan Coen share both producing and directing credits.; It marks the only time the Coens worked with Tom Hanks.; The gag of the portrait changing expressions is taken from Preston Sturges' film Sullivan's Travels (1941).
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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