The Ladykillers is a 2004 dark comedy film directed, written and produced by the Coen brothers and stars Tom Hanks, with a supporting cast that includes J. K. Simmons, Marlon Wayans, Tzi Ma, Ryan Hurst and Irma P. Hall. It is based on the 1955 British Ealing comedy of the same name.
It is the first film in which Ethan and Joel Coen share both producing and directing credits; previously Ethan had always been credited as producer and Joel as director. The film was originally to be directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, the Coens' former cinematographer. They were commissioned to write the script. When Sonnenfeld backed out, the Coens were eventually hired as directors, with Sonnenfeld retaining a producer credit.
Plot
Mrs. Marva Munson (Irma P. Hall), an elderly, God-fearing widow meets Professor Goldthwaite Higginson Dorr (Tom Hanks), who expresses his interest in the room she has to let and asks to use her basement for rehearsals of an early music ensemble he directs. She accepts the terms and agrees. The fellow musicians in the pretend ensemble are actually a gang of criminals, named Lump (Ryan Hurst), The General (Tzi Ma), Garth Pancake (J. K. Simmons), and Gawain (Marlon Wayans).
With all of their talents combined, the group of criminals plan to dig a tunnel through the crumbling, dried earth that has piled up in Mrs. Munson's basement and conclude that they will emerge in the vault of the casino.
After a series of comical mishaps that threaten to derail their plan, they break through the wall of the vault and snatch the loot. Mrs. Munson subsequently finds out what her tenant has done, and outraged, she tells Dorr to return the money and go with her to church on Sunday or else she will call the police. The gang decides to murder her. Through another series of comical mishaps, all the criminals end up dying while trying to kill Mrs. Munson. Gawain is shot, Garth is strangled, The General Falls and breaks his neck, Lump accidentally shoots himself, and Dorr gets hanged. The police refuse to believe her story about the robbery, and tell her to keep the money she found, which she gives to Bob Jones University.
Cast of characters Tom Hanks as G.H. Dorr, Ph. D, the mastermind of the casino heist. He is the chatty Southern dandy who rents Mrs. Munson's apartment as a stage for the robbery. Dorr is very articulate, charming, and is somewhat pretentious. He is a recognizable parody of some of William Faulkner's characters and bears some resemblance to Manly Pointer in Flannery O'Connor's "Good Country People". Irma P. Hall as Marva Munson, a well-meaning, God-fearing elderly widow. She shares her name with the judge in the previous Coen Brothers film Intolerable Cruelty. Tzi Ma as "The General", the often silent owner of the Hi-Ho Donut store in the town. It is strongly implied that he gained his rank and experience tunneling for the Vietcong during the Vietnam War. J. K. Simmons as Garth Pancake, a garrulous demolitions expert who suffers from IBS. He has a female partner, Mountain Girl, whom he met at an Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) weekend. Marlon Wayans as Gawain MacSam, the foul-mouthed, hotheaded janitor of the Bandit Queen Casino and the inside man. Ryan Hurst as Lump Hudson, the brawn of the group and a former football player who "is not very intelligent". He seldom speaks, and he at first refers to Dorr as "Coach". Diane Delano as Mountain Girl, Garth Pancake's female partner and right hand gal. She wears braids and dresses in mountain clothing. George Wallace as Sheriff Wyner, the lazy sheriff of Saucier. Stephen Root as Mr. Gudge, the intolerant but weak-willed manager of the Bandit Queen Casino.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ladykillers_(2004_film)
