 Tagline: Dead in the heart of Texas From the celebrated filmmaking team of Joel and Ethan Coen (Fargo, Raising Arizona), comes this visually stunning tale of a double-cross - and murder - in a small town. When the owner of a backwoods bar, hires a man to kill his cheating wife and her boyfriend, he opens a door into the criminal world that he'll never be able to shut. The sleazy hit man (M. Emmet Walsh) decides instead to shoot Marty, thereby collecting his unearned fee and eliminating the only person who could implicate him. Or so he thinks. Featuring the maddeningly taut script from the Coen Brothers, Blood Simple hurtles forward with the speed and intensity of a fired bullet... and delivers as devastating an impact as has ever been felt from a noir film! Storyline: A bar-owner in Texas is certain that his wife is cheating on him and hires a private detective to spy on her. This is just the beginning of a complex plot which is full of misunderstandings and deceit. Ethan and Joel Cohen's first feature film. Written by Mark Logan Cast Notes: John Getz (Ray), Frances McDormand (Abby), Dan Hedaya (Julian Marty), M. Emmet Walsh (Private Detective Loren Visser), Samm-Art Williams (Meurice), Deborah Neumann (Debra), Raquel Gavia (Landlady), Van Brooks (Man from Lubbock), Seņor Marco (Mr. Garcia), William Creamer (Old Cracker), Loren Bivens (Strip Bar Exhorter), Bob McAdams (Strip Bar Senator), Shannon Sedwick (Stripper), Nancy Finger (Girl on Overlook), William Preston Robertson (Radio Evangelist [voice] [as Rev. William Preston Robertson]). User Comment: William Ross from Atlanta, Georgia, 21 April 2000 • I think this film, probably more than any other, causes me to talk to the characters on the screen in an exasperated way--something akin to the way you want to yell at the characters in a slasher movie not to run outside to investigate sounds. The only difference is that this film is fantastic, whereas cheap slasher movies are not. Blood Simple is emotionally involving and the suspense is played to perfection. While the characters are completely clueless as to what has gone on around them, we know everything. What we don't know is what the characters are going to do next. As in every Coen film, things quickly get out of control. Some people have commented that the characters here acted unbelievably, but I'd have to say that when you think about their situations, the reactions are completely compatible with the way the characters are set up. The problem is that nobody knows what's going on except the viewers. Coen fans will notice many recurring themes from their other films (especially Fargo and The Big Lebowski) such as the use of headlights, passing motorists witnessing a crime, shower curtains and bathroom windows, detectives driving VW beetles, husbands hiring the wrong people to carry out a crime... I had a longer list in mind earlier while watching it but I've forgotten some. It's almost like these films all go together as a series of films depicting how similar situations would end up in different locations in America. Summary: Try to watch this without talking to the characters. User Comment: Jeff (spoonjef@aol.com) from L.A. CA, 28 March 2000 • Blood Simple is pure Coens. There are the usual bag of cinematic tricks, the twisting storyline, the seamy characters, and the occasional droplet of dark humor. The story concerns a bar owner who thinks his wife is cheating on him. He hires a sleazy private investigator to find out, and when he learns the truth, he wants them dead. Trouble is, things get kind of complicated when a murder occurs. The film creates a palpable feeling of tension, where you don't know what to expect next. Half the fun of this film is trying to figure out what will happen. A true testament of the well sturctured nature of the film, is the fact that there are only four main characters, and they hold your attention till the very end. And in traditional film noir fanfare, all of these characters have some sort of sordid business to attend to. The Coens drew on their experiences on Blood Simple and made the similar, but very different, Fargo. Watch Blood Simple for a good old fashioned film noir that will keep you guessing. Summary: Texas noir. User Comment: gbheron from Washington, DC, 12 September 1999 • The Coen Brothers first commercial film tells a noirish tale of murder, double-cross, and betrayal in small town America. A greasy small-town Texas saloon owner discovers his wife is having an affair with one of his bartenders. He hires the private detective that documented the affair to kill the couple. But the PI has different plans, and then everything starts going wrong, very wrong. The acting is great especially M. Emmett Walsh as the double-crossing PI. The direction and camera work presage the Coens subsequent work. This movie is a treat of a rental if you can find it. It's worth looking for. Summary: A Dark Little Gem. [CSW] -?4.1- . [V4.0-A4.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.
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