Brian Cox Names His Favorite Coen Bros Film—It's Not a Deep Cut

Still, despite never getting the Coens' call, he knows exactly which of their films is his favorite.

In a 2025 New York Times feature ranking the 100 best movies of the 21st century—compiled with input from actors, directors, writers, and other film people—Cox named No Country for Old Men as his top Coen pick.

His reasoning?

"They're sort of daring and they're pushing the envelope all the time with the amazing character played by Javier Bardem," Cox told the Times. "It's the Coen brothers at their best."

No Country isn't exactly an offbeat choice. It landed at #6 on the final list, making it the highest-ranked Coen film of the bunch. A reminder: this is the one with Bardem's Anton Chigurh and his bolt gun of doom, bad haircut, and coin-toss murder games. It won four Oscars, including Best Picture, and became a staple of "prestige film" dorm room posters everywhere.

For the record, here are the other Coen entries on the list:

• A Serious Man — #36
• O Brother, Where Art Thou? — #76
• Inside Llewyn Davis — #83

So yeah—Cox didn't dig up some lost gem or early Coen noir. He picked the one everyone already agrees is their masterpiece. But fair's fair: when you nail existential dread and cattle guns in the same movie, you earn that spot.

As for the rest of Cox's ballot, it was a mix of well-worn critical darlings and a few respectable curveballs:

• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• Mulholland Drive
• Leviathan (2014) — the Russian corruption drama, not the sea monster
• The Lives of Others — German film about Stasi surveillance and unexpected conscience

Still, out of all his picks, the No Country one stands out—not because it's bold, but because it's obvious. And that's the point. Sometimes the mainstream pick is mainstream for a reason: it's just that good.

And if the Coens are reading? Give the man a call. You gave Clooney a pass for Hail, Caesar! — Brian Cox has earned his turn.