Okay, so this isn’t actually a combo-set of DVDs that you can actually rent, and Netflix This usually only features one movie suggestion, but I recently watched two of the Coen Bros.’ earlier films for the second time, and they’re each so awesome, I figured I would suggest you rent both of them; if you haven’t seem them of course. Next to Christopher Nolan, the Coen Bros. are my second favorite filmmakers. They’re so original and create films for people who love films, because it’s what they love. Before Fargo, The Big Lebowski, No Country For Old Men and Oscars-galore, there was Blood Simple and Miller’s Crossing. The former is the Coen Bros.’ first film from 1984. It’s a brutal cat-and-mouse western-thriller, set in Texas. The latter is a prohibition-era gangster film that rivals Scorese’s best work in the crime genre.

First up is Blood Simple.

This is the Coen Bros. first film and I think it could be their best. The story is simple (ha!), Dan Hedaya plays Marty, a rich and successful bar/club owner deep in the heart of Texas. He finds out that his wife Abby (played by the now Coen-regular Frances McDormand, who was also really, REALLY hot in this movie) is cheating on him with one of the bartenders, Ray (John Getz). He then tells the private investigator (M. Emmet Walsh) that he hired to expose his wife’s affair, he will pay him $10,000 to kill Ray and Abby. The movie then takes a dark, violent and oddly funny turn (a Coen classic) for a two hour murder story ride that will pin you to your seat.

Besides being 1984, you really can’t tell that this was the Coen Bros. first film. Their direction is so masterful, meticulous and utterly unique that you would have thought that Blood Simple was their 10th film, or something. It’s just a really entertaining story that should quench any movie fan’s thirst for a great thriller.

Next up is Miller’s Crossing.

That quote is not over doing it. Imagine a epic gangster crime-drama, set in the 20s during prohibition, about an Irish mob going to war with an Italian mob with the main character playing both sides. Now imagine that film was written and directed by the Coen Bros. That’s Miller’s Crossing. The film was released in 1990 and has a dynamite cast, featuring: Gabriel Byrne, John Turturro, Marcia Gay Harden and Albert Finney as Leo.

Byrne plays Tom Reagan, the right hand man of Leo, the Irish mob boss that runs the city (which is never mentioned). Leo is getting pressure from his rival Italian mob boss Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito), so that he can wipe out Leo and take control of the city’s crime scene. Leo finds out that Tom has been sleeping with his gal Verna (Harden), so he publicly makes an example of Tom and kicks him out of the organization. Tom then plays both sides, trying to figure out a way to not get killed during this feud between mafia titans.

It’s a really refreshing take on the gangster genre. It’s filled with brutal deaths and gun fights, but also features that oddly humorous twist that the Coens are famous for. The performances are great, especially by Byrne and Turturro. After watching these two films, I think your respect for the Coen Bros. should go through the roof, if it hasn’t already.

NetFlix THESE: Blood Simple and Miller’s Crossing