The Coen brothers make films.
Joel David Coen ( born November 29 , 1954 ) and Ethan Jesse Coen ( born September 21 , 1957 ) , collectively referred to as the Coen brothers , are American filmmakers . The brothers write , direct and produce their films jointly , although until The Ladykillers ( 2004 ) Joel received sole credit for directing and Ethan for producing . The brothers 's films No Country for Old Men , A Serious Man and Inside Llewyn Davis have been ranked in the BBC 's 2016 poll of the greatest motion pictures since 2000 .