The Man Who Wasn't There
A dissatisfied barber seizes a chance at wealth by blackmailing his wife's lover, only to be framed for the lover's murder and forced to outrun a hostile town while fighting to clear his name.
Synopsis
A tale of murder, crime, and punishment set in the summer of 1949, the story follows Ed Crane, a barber in a small California town, who is dissatisfied with his life. His wife, Doris, plays a central role in the unfolding events.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 71+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Ethan CoenShot by Roger DeakinsScored by Carter BurwellDesigned by Dennis Gassner
Box Office
2001 · Box office
📉 Underperformed — grossed 0.9× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$18.9M
US & Canada: $7.5M — 40% of worldwide · International: $11.4M (60%)
Opening weekend: $664K — 9% of its US run. It had legs — it kept earning long after opening weekend.
Opening week (7-day): $900K — 12% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 39 theaters
Also known as
- Der unauffällige Mr. Cranede
- The Barberfr
- L'uomo che non c'erait
Community tags
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Cast & Crew
71 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Scarlett Johansson
as Birdy Abundas
Richard Jenkins
as Walter Abundas
Tony Shalhoub
as Freddy Riedenschneider
Christopher Kriesa
as Officer Persky
Billy Bob Thornton
as Ed Crane
Frances Mcdormand
as Doris Crane
Michael Badalucco
as Frank
James Gandolfini
as Big Dave Brewster
Katherine Borowitz
as Ann Nirdlinger Brewster
Jon Polito
as Creighton Tolliver
Brian Haley
as Officer Krebs
Jack Mcgee
as P.I. Burns
Supporting cast
52Gregg Binkley
as The New Man
Alan Fudge
as Dr. Diedrickson
Lilyan Chauvin
as Medium
Adam Alexi Malle
as Jacques Carcanogues
Ted Rooney
as Bingo Caller
Abraham Benrubi
as Party Man
Christian Ferratti
as Child
Rhoda Gemignani
as Costanza
E J Callahan
as Customer
Brooke Smith
as Sobbing Prisoner
Ron Ross
as Banker
Hallie Singleton
as Waitress
Jon Donnelly
as Gatto Eater
Dan Martin
as Bailiff
Nicholas Lanier
as Tony
Tom Dahlgren
as Judge #1
Booth Colman
as Judge #2
Stanley Desantis
as New Man's Customer
Peter Siragusa
as Bartender
Christopher Mcdonald
as Macadam Salesman
Rick Scarry
as District Attorney
George Ives
as Lloyd Garroway
Devon Cole Borisoff
as Swimming Boy
Mary Bogue
as Prisoner Visitor
Don Donati
as Pie Contest Timer
Arthur Reeves
as Flophouse Clerk
Michelle Weber
as Dancer
Randi Cee
as Dancer
Robert Loftin
as Dancer
Kenneth Hughes
as Dancer
Gordon Hart
as Dancer
Brenda Mae Hamilton
as Dancer
Lloyd Gordon
as Dancer
Leonard Crofoot
as Dancer
Rita Maye Bland
as Dancer
Audrey K Baranishyn
as Dancer
Qyn Hughes
as Dancer
Rachel Mcdonald
as Dancer
Jennifer Jason Leigh
as Female Inmate (voice) (uncredited)
Seymour Cassel
as Spectator at Execution (uncredited)
Craig Berenson
as Jail Guy (uncredited)
Joan Blair
as Prison Matron (uncredited)
Greg Bronson
as Courtroom Attendee (uncredited)
Geoffrey Gould
as Alpine Rope Toss Man (uncredited)
Paul G Gray
as Man in Courtroom (uncredited)
Phil Hawn
as Man in Courtroom (uncredited)
Cherilyn Hayres
as Swing Dancer (uncredited)
John Michael Higgins
as Emergency Room Physician (uncredited)
Pete Schrum
as Truck Driver (uncredited)
Max Thayer
as Witness (uncredited)
Spencer Kayden
as Piano Recital Patron (uncredited)
Bob Shuttleworth
as Prison Guard (uncredited)
Directors
1Writers
2Producers
1Other crew
7Parents Guide
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