Blood Simple (1984)

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Directed by Joel Coen.

Starring John Getz, Dan Hedaya, Frances McDormand, M. Emmet Walsh, Samm-Art Williams.

In the first film of brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, M. Emmett Walsh plays Visser, an unscrupulous private eye hired by Texas bar owner Marty (Dan Hedaya) to murder Marty's faithless wife Abby (Frances McDormand) and her paramour, Ray (John Getz), one of Marty's employees. But Visser is no more up-front with Marty than with anyone else; he makes some slight modifications of the original plan so that it better serves his own best interests. After a surprise double-cross and the murder of one of the important players, matters spiral out of control, and the plot gyrates through a complicated string of darkly humorous events. False assumptions, guilt, and fear all lead to a frantic attempt to conceal evidence and the heart-pounding, irony-filled denouement. Blood Simple was re-released in the summer of 2000 with a digitally-remastered soundtrack and -- at the Coens' behest -- a few minutes of dialogue trimmed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

No Country for Old Men
by Risselada in Risselada Blog

loved it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"No Country for Old MenI saw this movie the day it came out in Chicago. But there's been so much talk about it since that I'm not sure what to talk about in this blog. There are so many thoughts and discussions I've had or heard on the film that I feel like whatever I mention I'll be treading ground everyone's already heard or feel like I'm leaving something out.I will state that I'm extremely biased towards the Coen brothers. I love everything they've done, so at this point it's hard for me to just not simply love anything they do. Just knowing they made it puts a gleam around it in my mind that protects it from major criticism. But I think it's completely justified.I will say that until I see this movie more times, it's not currently my favorite of their movies, but as it is, it's still a fucking fantastic movie. I think as their first strict adaptation it has to be evaluated in a different manner as well.The film has no openin ... " [More]

Simply great
by Ryan123 in Ryan123 Blog

liked it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"I think its awsome that right now the coen brothers work is book-ended by two great films set in texas. You can obviously the improvements the coens have made in tthe last 20 years, but Blood Simple is a more authenticly Coen film. Put that on top of the great performances, and youve got a damn good film! " [More]

No Country For Old Men / Top 5 ...
by adamkemp in Filmspotting

hasn't rated it.

"From Fimspotting #185... Matty calls No Country For Old Men one of the best films of the year. I say it *is* the best film of the year (so far). Share your thoughts and favorite Coen Bros. moments here. " [More]

Blood Simple
by Risselada in Risselada Blog

loved it.

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"Blood SimpleI just watched this movie for the second time. It had been a long while since the first time. And this time I watched the Director's Cut.This may be the first time ever that a "Director's Cut" is actually shorter than the original release. Anyways the whole idea is absurd since the Coen brothers have always had final cut on all of their films from what I know. And CERTAINLY with this movie which was their first movie and pretty much an entirely independent endeavor.This is not the only unusual thing about the DVD release of this film, but the director's commentary is probably the most entertaining I have ever heard. It's a total parody of these pseudo-intellectual type film historian commentaries. The speaker purports to be a part of Forever Young films which helped to restore and release Blood Simple on DVD. The stories and facts and preoccupations of the commentator are simply hilarious. He ends up painting an outrageous fictional nar ... " [More]

No Country For Old Men Trailer ...
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

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"Anne Thompson points to the red-banded trailer for the Coen Brothers’ No Country For Old Men. In order to watch it, you have to prove that you’re over 17 by entering your birthday and zip code, as it corresponds to your government-issued ID. Leaving aside the fact that it’s totally creepy that movie studios now have access to some massive DMV database (that’s gotta be where they’re getting this info from, since the site wouldn’t accept the zip code on my passport), if you prefer Blood Simple to The Big Lebowski, then this trailer will likely be right up your alley. Warning: it’s, um, kind of violent. I counted at least 6 corpses, plus 2 implied human deaths, plus one definitely dead dog. Originally posted on:Spoutblog " [More]

Re: Is "DELIVERANCE" ...
by quint in HORROR MOVIES 101

liked it.

"Alright, Spout just got a little better and now I can actually see a topic like this one without having to do a bunch of digging. I agree completely about Deliverance. The thing that makes it rise above more typical fare is actual character development, but hey, that happens in horror sometimes, despite how badly maligned it has become in the face of adrenelin-junkie screams. I would say the fracturing of identity that some solid terror gives a character ussually doesn't leave room for much character. But here we see some hard choices being made despite it all. I'd say it has all the thrills of Night of the Living Dead.I'd add to the list, Blood Simple which takes a wacky horror twist at the end with the "can't kill him" PI coming through the window. " [More]

Re: Top Neo-Noir
by HairyLime in Top 5

liked it.

"A lot of my favorites have already been mentioned (Chinatown, Body Heat, Point Blank, LA Confidential, The Long Goodbye), and certainly Brick is probably one of the better recent entries in the genre. I love how the characters all mirror conventional noir cliches without losing the whole 'high school' feel and without being overly cutesy and self-conscious. The nerd as 'faithful girl friday', the colorfully creepy villain (operating out of his Mom's basement no less), the tough talking chief of police reimagined as the Assistant Principal. One of the more imaginative takes on noir I've seen in a long time. Would be fun to watch back to back with Maltese Falcon to compare and contrast. Nobody has yet mentioned the Coen's first feature 'Blood Simple', another favorite. " [More]

Miller's Crossing
by HairyLime in HairyLime Blog

liked it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Revisited this movie last night, and it is probably my third or fourth viewing. I like a film that has a bit of ambiguity to it, which is probably the biggest contributing factor to its repeat appeal. I love the cinematography and the directorial flair that is evident in so many of the major scenes (the 'Danny Boy' sequence, the execution at Miller's Crossing scene and its revisitation, the violent climax with the death of 'the Dane'), and wonderful performances by Finney and Turturro and especially Jon Polito. It was interesting to me on this viewing to notice all the 'bookend' scenes, the Mob boss visited by the mayor and chief of police (once for Finney and once for Polito), the execution march into the woods (once for Turturro and once for Byrne) neither of which works out as expected), the midnight visits in Byrnes sitting room (Finney and Turturro), the police raids (once for Finney and once for Polito) and probably more that I missed.. and I suppo ... " [More]

Re: Top Neo-Noir
by Risselada in Top 5

loved it.

"1. Fargo, 1996. Definitely Neo-Noir, although doesn't conform to your description in one way. I think Marge is fundamentally through and through "good". Most Coen brothers films have a neo noir feel like their first film Blood Simple. Miller's Crossing and The Man Who Wasn't There are almost classic noir. 2. Reservoir Dogs, 1992. I'd say this counts. I'm surprised you didn't say Pulp Fiction, SkyPilot, as I thought it was your favorite film. Do you not consider that neo-noir? 3. Who Framed Roger Rabbit, 1988. Actually very well written, constructed, and played out as a classic detective film noir film. Even set in the right era. It's a clash between this dark gritty noir reality with the zany cartoon reality that emphasises the qualities of each. If each reality were not done right, it wouldn't work. 4. The Singing Detective, 2003. I find this movie so complex and amazing, it is too overwhelming for me to try to describe it. I'll try to say something though. It use ... " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

loved it.

A tribute to American film noir, Blood Simple was the Coen Brothers' remarkably confident film debut. It introduced the world to the brothers' dark and enjoyably warped vision, setting the tone for their later and increasingly famous works. Blood Simple also established the Coens as some of the most innovative filmmakers of their generation, featuring acrobatic camera manipulation and stunningly effective point-of-view shots, the most memorable of which is M. Emmet Walsh's view of a dripping sink. For his part, Walsh gave one of the best performances of his career, a savory blend of amoral sleaze and mean-eyed greed. His performance is the black heart and soul of Blood Simple, a film that churns with sadistic good humor as it delivers a brutal yet beautifully executed shot to the head. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide

Tags: coenbrothers , coen , noir , Austin-TX , first-film
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