A Perfect Strike !

Rating: 9/10 (25 September 2018)

Recently given a one night cinematic return to mark 20 years since its initial release. "The Big Lebowski" remains on the highpoints of the Coen Brothers remarkable career of excellence.
Their farcical homage to Raymond Chandler stars Jeff Bridges, as "The Dude" whose real name, Jeff Lebowski drags him into a plot to ransom the wife of his namesake, played by David Huddleston. Blackmailers come to the wrong address, rugs are pissed on and threats are made. Eventually the "Big" Lebowski chooses "The Dude" to be the bag man for the ransom drop off. A decision that all involved soon come to regret.
Twenty years has allowed me to watch "The Big Lebowski" a few times, and to be fair it's a film that improves with each watch. The plot is nothing special, in fact it's almost non-existant. The character revolve around each other and at the end of it you're no wiser as to who, if anyone, actually kidnapped Bunny (Tara Reid) or what happened to the $1M dollars. . But you come to appreciate that the plot isn't as important as the characters and what characters they are. Jeff Bridges gives a career best performance as "The Dude".... Mumbling and "man-ing" his way through the film, which belies the wit that he sometimes allows a glimpse of.
It is one of the funniest, most quotable movies of all time. Full of the Coen's regular acting troop, some of whom show up for just one or two scenes, make their memorable mark and then are never heard from again.
It is a stone cold classic, and we'll still be watching it in another twenty years.