But Visser attempts a double-cross that goes awry, and soon everyone suspects everyone else of something. The only time we may not know what's going on is when the Coens decide to use their Godlike power to play with Marty. They tease us with clues that Marty might still be alive and have survived his own burial. His presence can be felt for the rest of the movie and we expect him to pop up at any moment. I was amazed as to how much of the movie is silent, without any dialogue.
Characters spend a lot of time thinking, looking for things, and waiting, which is very refreshing.
But that's perhaps also why we don't remember them very clearly afterwards. Certainly Dan Hedaya and Frances McDormand proved themselves capable actors later on. But one character does stand out, and I confess to remembering his every move, even after a decade. M. Emmet Walsh is one of the cinema's great character actors, and he manages to bring human warmth to his slimy, sweaty detective character. Walsh also introduces the film with his sinister, drawling narration.