Since the dawn of cinema, directing a film has always been seen as a solo experience. But there’s been a curious trend of late, which finds siblings directing films together; you have the Wachowskis, the Safdies, the Farrellys, the Russos and the Duffers. But possibly the bros that inspired many of those listed would be the Coen brothers.

Ethan and Joel broke through with their first film Blood Simple in 1984. They went on to produce a number of highly original and quirky titles, often mixing a criminal storyline with dark humour.

Their seventh film together was 1998’s The Big Lebowski, starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman and Steve Buscemi, which is getting a welcome re-release here, 17 years on.

Living in the City of Angels is Jeffrey Lebowski (Bridges), but although that’s his given name, he doesn’t answer to it, preferring to answer to “The Dude”.

He and his two friends Walter (Goodman) and Donny (Buscemi) can often been found down at the bowling alley, where they are a team that takes part in the league they run there. And that’s pretty much all The Dude has going on in his life, in terms of commitment, with his very casual approach to living life.

That changes one day when two thugs break into his house demanding money, which The Dude clearly doesn’t have, which disappoints them no end, resulting in one of them peeing on his rug, which he’s understandably annoyed by.

The fact that they were calling him Lebowski led him to believe that they were actually after the millionaire Jeff Lebowski, sadly no relation. So he decides to approach Lebowski and tell him of the mix up. Lebowski tells The Dude of his current plight, which has seen his young trophy wife Bunny (Tara Reid) kidnapped and held for a hefty ransom. Because he has had contact with them, Lebowski wants The Dude to be the go-between, so he can take them the ransom, and get his wife back.

The Dude agrees, for a fee, but little does he know that this seemingly simple act is going to spiral wildly out of control.

Although now considered a classic – even being selected for preservation by the Library of Congress - the film opened to mix reviews at the time, and it’s easy to see why.

The Coen’s script is both convoluted and chaotic, and ultimately making little in the way of sense. But that’s not really the point; the story is loosely there to support the main theme of the film – characters. The Dude is a curious entity, offering very little by way of background – although he eventually gives up a little in one scene – but other than that he is a self-knowing caricature more than anything.

The film then is about his relationships, with his friends Walter and Donny, and to a certain extent, with life itself. Hitchcock used a device called a macguffin to help drive his narrative, which could be a bomb, or an event etc. Well The Dude serves as the macguffin in this film, as everything channels through him.

He brings out the crazy in other characters, mainly the unhinged Vietnam vet Walter, who’s yet another volatile element that The Dude has to contend with.

It’s unusual for the Coens, who normally deliver strong stories, but you can tell this was them just not focusing too much on the storyline, simply using it as a prop for their strong characters to engage in from time to time, making it less about intriguing plot and more about killer dialogue.

The film also features a sublime performance by John Turturro, who somehow makes playing a known paedophile hugely entertaining.

Although it still remains a beloved fan favourite, the flimsy nature of the storyline may well put newcomers to it off. Of course there’s every chance they’ll mellow, in another 17 years time, much like The Dude himself, and appreciate his mantra that little bit more, being “The Dude abides”.

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