Billy Bob Thornton in a mock film noir by the Coen brothers: a mouth-watering prospect for the film buff. And yet, though moody and atmospheric, the film almost always promises more than it delivers. Very slowly paced, its plot gives us Thornton as a barber with no discernible personality. His bride-to-be (Frances McDormand), asked if she wants more time to get to know him, asks 'Why - does it get better? ' The film has several such wryly humorous moments, drily delivered by Thornton in first-person narration, as he tells us how he met a dry-cleaning salesman (Jon Polito), agreed to put $10,000 into his venture and blackmailed his wife's lover (James Gandolfini) for the money. Forced to kill Gandolfini when the latter, ruined financially, attacks him, Thornton finds his wife accused of the murder. There are a few more twists in store, but it does take a mighty long time to get through them to a slightly unconvincing ending.