Joel and Ethan Cohen are back on the screen with their latest dark comedy, much in the tradition of "Fargo," with "The Ladykillers," starring two time Academy Award® winner Tom Hanks.

The time around, the Cohen brothers (Hudsucker Proxy, Miller's Crossing) look to break traditions in the genre of the bank robbery movie. Tom Hanks (Cast Away) heads this cast in a purely enjoyable character performance as Professor G.H. Dorr, the mastermind behind the amusing plan to break into a riverboat casino vault.

The plan is to burrow through soil and into the vault, located underground next to where the boat is docked, starting from the basement of Marva Munson, played by Irma Hall (Collateral). Munson is an elderly church going southerner with a suspicious eye for everything breathing.

Hanks' partners in crime, selected for their expertise in different areas, include "The General," a former North Vietnamese Army general with a talent for digging tunnels, Garth Pancake, played by J.K. Simmons (Spiderman 2), the master of explosives who foolishly looses a couple fingers during preparations, Lump Hudson, the unintelligent muscle of the group, and Gawain McSam, played by Marlon Wayans (Scary Movie), as the man inside.

The strength of the picture lies within the casting of this troupe, especially J.K Simmons who is quickly proving himself to be one of the best character actors around after appearances as Peter Parker's loud mouth editor in "Spiderman" and Buffalo Bill Cody in "Hidalgo." The man is able to shape shift as much as Billy Bob Thornton has in past works as well.

Ryan Hurst, as Lump, has the big dumb jock role perfected, while Wayans provides the weakest link of the group, using his sas and abnormally fowl language to define his character without any substance. Anyone who knows me knows I do not mind fowl language in movies to get a laugh or toughen a character up, but Wayans and those he was friends with in the picture were downright obsessive. Their scenes stuck out and were distracting to the story.

Irma Hall, as Munson, nails the southern devoted Baptist "church lady" character perfectly in this work, especially in scenes with the ho-hum sheriff, played by comedian George Wallace.

"The Ladykillers" is actually a remake of the 1950's movie, same title, written by William Rose. However, the Cohen brothers give it a much better spin. Bad luck rips through the crime party's plans and eventually the innocent prevail. There are no surprises for the ending, but getting there is a riot. This is one to rent if your sense of humor is as warped as mine and those I'm friends with.

Benn - Where's the Humanity?