O Brother, Where Art Thou? (DVD 2001)

'Oh, Iiiii am a maaaaan.... oh of constant soooooorrow'

For the soundtrack alone this film would be worth buying - a foot-tapping selection of vintage and modern bluegrass numbers, including the irresistible 'Man of Constant Sorrow', which features in the climactic scene of the film.

But this isn't a CD review, so why should you buy this film? Well, it was one of the first signs that George Clooney had more depth than he'd had to display in ER or the lamentable The Peacemaker. He gives an endearing performance as an incorrigible ne'er-do-well on the run from a chain gang. He's also given sterling support by John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson as his dimwitted but show-stealing sidekicks.

The trio lurch across the sepia-toned canvas of the Deep South of the 1930s, tangling with psychotic bank robbers, bent politicians, sultry sirens and ex-wives, pausing only to record unwittingly a hit single and escape the clutches of the Ku Klux Klan.

Shot through with the quirkiness, dark humour, rich characters and all-around originality that you'd expect from the Coen brothers, this film is a modern masterpiece that you'll want to watch again.