This Coen Brothers remake of a wicked British comedy from 1955, with Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers, stars Tom Hanks as mannered though smarmy Professor Dorr. Dorr is a southern gentleman with a penchant to enrich himself with the funds of a New Orleans riverboat casino.

He rents a room at the lovely old house owned by Mrs. Munson (Irma P. Hall), and he inquires if he can use her acoustically perfect root cellar as rehearsal space for his Renaissance ensemble. This band of mayhem makers’ favorite instruments are drills and explosives, however. Their real interest is to steal the money from the underground counting room of the floating casino, which is located a short distance from the cellar. Soon the caper is afoot and they are digging a tunnel under the cover of recorded music, which for awhile fools Mrs. Munson.

When Mrs. Munson accidentally discovers what the gang is up to, they decide to kill her when she refuses to be bribed. Like a cat with more than nine lives, she has the knack to avoid what seems to be certain death at the hands of the dim witted criminals.

Fans of the Coen Brothers hits such as "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and "Blood Simple" will adore this film as they are already primed for the twisted and often irreverent humor. Just as some Tom Hanks fans were surprised by his murderous and unapologetic role in "The Road to Perdition," the same applies here with the broad difference being that though he’s a bad guy, this is a laugh out loud comedy rather than a dark family tragedy. Hanks is clearly having a good time in a role that seems as if he’s ready to wink at those of us sitting in the audience at any time.

Hanks always delivers a performance worth watching and in this film, so does Irma P. Hall (a Chicagoan). The cleverly written script delivers some real surprises. As an added bonus "The Ladykillers" has a gospel soundtrack that may also hit the best selling charts with its rousing music, as "O Brother" did with its country music. The name of the film does indeed set the tone for the humor in the movie. If you like wicked, twisted humor, this film was made for you.

George’s take: Marlon Wayans plays a stereotypical, foul mouth, dumb black man, who is in conflict with partner-in-crime stereotypical hillbilly J.K. Simmons ("Spider-Man," TVs "The D.A.") and his girlfriend "Mountain Girl" (Diane Delano of "A Mighty Wind"), yet the Coen Brothers have done one of the hardest things in humor, which is to push sensitive buttons without becoming offensive.

Pam’s take: I take offense. Not only do I object to the characterization of Gawain (Wayans) but also to the fact that the filmmakers chose to have Mrs. Munson devoted to the preservation of the Bob Jones University ministry, a known racist institution. If there’s supposed to be irony there it escapes me.