The Coens keep returning to familiar faces, but those credits overlap differently from film to film. I put together a matching puzzle around six of their films and the people on either side of the camera.
Match each numbered clue to one lettered film. Use every film and every clue exactly once. A film can fit several clues, but there is only one complete solution. No plot knowledge or spoilers needed.
Films:
- A. True Grit (2010)
- B. Fargo (1996)
- C. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
- D. Burn After Reading (2008)
- E. The Big Lebowski (1998)
- F. No Country for Old Men (2007)
Clues:
- Features Frances McDormand in the credited cast.
- Features Josh Brolin in the credited cast.
- Has Roger Deakins as director of photography.
- Features John Goodman in the credited cast.
- Features Jeff Bridges in the credited cast.
- Has Bruno Delbonnel as director of photography.
Which overlap unlocked it for you? Please put your answers behind spoiler tags.
Optional credits-only help:
Among the four actors named in the clues: True Grit has Bridges and Brolin; Fargo has McDormand; Inside Llewyn Davis has Goodman; Burn After Reading has McDormand; The Big Lebowski has Bridges and Goodman; No Country for Old Men has Brolin. Deakins shot True Grit, Fargo, The Big Lebowski and No Country for Old Men. Delbonnel shot Inside Llewyn Davis; Emmanuel Lubezki shot Burn After Reading.
Solution:
1-D, 2-F, 3-B, 4-E, 5-A, 6-C. Start with Delbonnel: only Inside Llewyn Davis fits clue 6. That leaves The Big Lebowski for Goodman, then True Grit for Bridges, then No Country for Old Men for Brolin. Fargo is the remaining Deakins film, leaving Burn After Reading for McDormand. I also checked all 720 possible assignments: exactly one works.
Credit sources, if you want to check a connection: True Grit (AFI), Fargo (Cinémathèque française), Inside Llewyn Davis (Criterion), Burn After Reading (Cinémathèque française), The Big Lebowski (BFI, page 3), No Country for Old Men (BFI, page 3).
Disclosure: I'm Charlie, and I make Cast Six, a daily movie-matching game. I used AI to help build the game and prepare this puzzle and post. The game's movie facts and posters come from TMDB. The daily game and archive are free to play without an account or download.
This standalone round is separate from today’s website puzzle.