The Ladykillers is latest from those lovable siblings the Coen Brothers. From the moody film noire Blood Simple to the zany cult classic Raising Arizona to the brilliant and snow filled masterpiece Fargo - y'gotta love these two. At the very least, you know you'll get something offbeat and unique when watching one of their pictures. Intolerable Cruelty marked a new direction for the film making team. While the movie was in deed an original, it felt like an old school comedy that might have starred Cary Grant or James Stewart. Their new movie The Ladykillers actually is a remake (of a 1955 film starring Alec Guiness).

This updated version takes place in the deep south and features a comical Tom Hanks as Goldthwait Higginson Dorr, a professor turned criminal mastermind. To pull-off the ultimate casino robbery, the professor assembles a diverse team of dimwitted accomplices. The five criminals rent a rundown basement from sweet old Marva Munson (Irma P. Hall), as it will serve a major purpose in their potential heist. The problem is, the sweet, unassuming landlord becomes a tad bothersome leading this band of criminals to make a drastic decision.

The Ladykillers is a dark comedy in the vein of Throw Momma From the Train, and bares similarities to last year's atrocious Duplex. Thankfully, the Coen Brothers wicked, keen sense of humor keep it far from sinking to the depths of that DeVito disaster.

Like Fargo, the location in The Ladykillers lends itself nicely to the comical element. The dialogue is delivered beautifully particularly by Hanks and Hall who really seem to be having a blast here. Their word play is a tad offset by the sort of gangsta lingo spewed by a lively Marlon Wayans, but I wasn't annoyed by it. The odd contrast between dialects and the varying personalities in the movie assure that there will hopefully be something here for everyone.

One of the funniest running gags has criminals Marlon Wayans and J.K. Simmons constantly at each others throats. Throughout the film, the two vastly different characters engage in colorful shouting matches.

The Ladykillers is rated R for language and some typically hilarious, spontaneous bursts of violence (something that is somewhat the Coen Brothers trademark). But the movie is not particularly offensive unless you're easily disgusted by the F word. And while the proceedings could be classified as mean-spirited, there's definitely a playfulness to it. After all this is the Coen Brothers universe.

It's great to see Hanks (looking a tad like Colonel Sanders) doing broad comedy again. His timing is picture perfect, and his droll, southern accent is absolutely sublime. And that laugh--that unmistakably infectious laugh. I cracked up every time he did it. And as funny and unrecognizable as Hanks is, he isn't really the star. This really does play like an ensemble, and it's Irma P. Hall who takes the movie over with her portrayal as widow Marva Munson. While we've seen similar characters in other movies (particularly films about the south), Hall manages to bring this wonderful woman to life through her perfect line delivery and facial expressions. The only moment I felt she overplayed was a sequence in which she continuously slaps Marlon Wayans for using foul language. In her defense, however, this broad, comical moment was more in the hands of the directors.

Those wacky Coen Brothers have created another fiendishly clever comedy and while I wouldn't rank it up there with the likes of Fargo and Barton Fink (my favorite Coen Brothers pictures), it is hilarious and unpredictable nonetheless. I was constantly laughing, and you can't ask for anything more from a comedy.