Today’s quick review: Blood Simple. Abby (Frances McDormand) leaves her husband Julian (Dan Hedaya), an unstable Texas bar owner, for Ray (John Getz), one of his employees, and ends up sparking an escalating conflict between the two men. In a fit of jealousy, Julian hires Loren (M. Emmet Walsh), a shady private detective, to kill his wife and her lover. But Loren’s ambitions put a hitch in Julian’s plans, leading to an outcome no one anticipated.
Blood Simple is a minimalistic crime drama from the Coen Brothers. Blood Simple takes a rudimentary premise and gradually builds it up into a tense puzzle where none of the characters have access to all the pieces. The movie’s slow pacing, limited cast, and emphasis on atmosphere over excitement make it a peculiar watch with a heavy up-front cost. The payoff is a uniquely twisted plot that plays its characters against each other expertly.
Blood Simple takes a while to get going. The early portion of the movie is spent introducing the characters and the tensions between them. There are no true heroes in Blood Simple, just flawed people trying to navigate a bad situation. The cinematography is dark and moody, with plenty of close shots that emphasize the main characters and their mental states. The result is an opening that’s well-crafted and artistic but also somewhat dry.
The setup flips into payoff once Julian orders the hit on Abby and Ray. From here on out, the movie is a tangled web of conflicting motives, deception, and genuine misunderstanding. Each of the four main characters sees a different story play out, and their inability to understand this fact only draws them deeper into the tangle. Even minor plot points from early on have repercussions later, resulting in a tense, complex, and rewarding endgame.
Watch Blood Simple when you’re in the mood for something dark and cerebral. Blood Simple has less flair than later Coen Brothers films, and its slow pacing and tragic tone won’t be for everyone. But viewers who are willing to invest in the movie’s setup will be treated to a plot that’s as intricate as it is unpredictable. Skip it if you’re looking for a straightforward crime drama, a fast-paced watch, or something with less moral ambiguity.
For an even more violent and unpredictable crime drama from the Coen Brothers, try No Country For Old Men. For another tense, minimalistic crime drama with sharp plot twists, try Reservoir Dogs. For one with similar atmosphere and cinematography, try Following. For a crime comedy with a similar plot, try Kill Me Three Times.
7.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for a slow boil that leads to an impressive plot.