Ray and Abby are having an
affair. Abby’s husband Julian Marty suspects something is afoot and hires
private detective Loren Visser to kill Ray. When murder is involved, however,
things are never simple.
Blood Simple is auteurs the Coen
Brothers’ first film, launching their illustrious career. They worked with
composer Carter
Burwell, cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld,
and production designer Jane Musky
(all of whom would return for Raising Arizona,
their next film).
The film stars John Getz, Frances McDormand,
Dan Hedaya,
M. Emmet Walsh,
and Samm-Art
Williams. Frequent Coen Brothers collaborator Holly Hunter’s
voice also makes a cameo appearance.
In typical Coen Brothers fashion,
the filmmakers twist and subvert their targeted genre (being film noir) with
Blood Simple. In some ways it feels like a German Expressionist film, as it
almost plays like a horror film by the end – the Coen Brothers taking full
advantage of the wonderful contrast and shadows cinematographer Barry
Sonnenfeld achieves. They take what is a simple story and turn it into a character
piece, thriller, and horror film in different moments. Their great dark sense
of humor is present as well. The film does not feel quite as polished as their
later work, but it certainly has all the traits that define them as excellent
filmmakers. It is a must-see for fans of the Coen Brothers. And, just for fun,
here is my ranking of their films from best to worst: The Big
Lebowski, No
Country for Old Men, Fargo,
True
Grit, Miller’s
Crossing, The
Hudsucker Proxy, A
Serious Man, The Man Who Wasn’t
There, Inside
Llewyn Davis, Blood Simple, O Brother, Where
Art Thou?, Barton
Fink, Burn
After Reading, Raising Arizona, Intolerable
Cruelty, and The Ladykillers.
Trailer: Here
Available on: Blu-ray
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