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Blood Simple (1984)
Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Cast overview: John Getz, Frances McDormand
Running time: 99 minutes
This is the second Coen brothers film I've reviewed on this site, the other being Fargo, and I'm convinced that this is slightly better. It's a gripping debut, revolving around a cuckolded husband who hires a private investigator to kill his cheating wife and her new man, though nothing goes smoothly.
The writing here feels completely assured for a debut, and indeed the Coen brothers instantly broke into their stride - some directors take time to find their feet and create something worthwhile; here I think they instantly created something marvellous - I may be in a minority with this but I think it's among their best films.
Some parts of it are particularly shocking and disturbing, and I found the burying alive scene to be one such example, but it enhances its position as a gritty crime thriller. The Texas setting complements this grittiness, also, and one thing I think the Coen brothers do as well as any film-maker is choose appropriate settings for their films. This is no different. I also loved Carter Burwell's soundtrack, which is so subtle yet so chilling and it's perfect for this film.
All the acting performances are superb, with M. Emmet Walsh earning particular credit in my eyes as the double-crossing and downright evil private detective. He's completely cold and chilling, and a memorable movie character. Frances McDormand, a regular in Coen films, plays her part very well as per.
Very highly recommended debut from the Coen brothers, and it's already rocketed near the top of my favourite films.
Quotes
Private Detective Visser: Gimme a call whenever you wanna cut off my head. I can always crawl around without it.
[first lines]
Private Detective Visser: [narrating] The world is full o' complainers. An' the fact is, nothin' comes with a guarantee. Now I don't care if you're the pope of Rome, President of the United States or Man of the Year; somethin' can all go wrong. Now go on ahead, y'know, complain, tell your problems to your neighbor, ask for help, 'n watch him fly. Now, in Russia, they got it mapped out so that everyone pulls for everyone else... that's the theory, anyway. But what I know about is Texas, an' down here... you're on your own.
Private Detective Visser: You know, you know, a friend of mine a while back broke his hand and put it in a cast. Very next day, he falls, protects his bad hand, and he breaks his good one. So he breaks it too, you know. So, now he's got two busted flippers. So, I says to him: "Creighton," I says. "I hope your wife really loves you, because for the next five weeks, you can't even wipe your own god damn ass."
[laughs]
Private Detective Visser: That's the test, ain't it? Test of true love.
Trivia
On the advice of Sam Raimi, the Coens went door-to-door showing potential investors a two minute 'trailer' of the film they planned to make. They ultimately raised $750,000 in a little over a year, enough to begin production of the movie.
The title is based on a phrase from the Dashiell Hammett novel 'Red Harvest', in which "blood simple" is a term coined to describe the addled, fearful mindset people are in after a prolonged immersion in violent situations. Blood Simple writers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen later made Miller's Crossing (1990) which is loosely based on that novel.
The finished film was brought to L.A. and shown to the major studios, and all passed on the movie. Later that year it was accepted into the 1984 New York Film Festival, and then shown at the Toronto Film Festival, where a deal was made with Circle Films to distribute the movie domestically.
Trailer
Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Cast overview: John Getz, Frances McDormand
Running time: 99 minutes
This is the second Coen brothers film I've reviewed on this site, the other being Fargo, and I'm convinced that this is slightly better. It's a gripping debut, revolving around a cuckolded husband who hires a private investigator to kill his cheating wife and her new man, though nothing goes smoothly.
The writing here feels completely assured for a debut, and indeed the Coen brothers instantly broke into their stride - some directors take time to find their feet and create something worthwhile; here I think they instantly created something marvellous - I may be in a minority with this but I think it's among their best films.
Some parts of it are particularly shocking and disturbing, and I found the burying alive scene to be one such example, but it enhances its position as a gritty crime thriller. The Texas setting complements this grittiness, also, and one thing I think the Coen brothers do as well as any film-maker is choose appropriate settings for their films. This is no different. I also loved Carter Burwell's soundtrack, which is so subtle yet so chilling and it's perfect for this film.
All the acting performances are superb, with M. Emmet Walsh earning particular credit in my eyes as the double-crossing and downright evil private detective. He's completely cold and chilling, and a memorable movie character. Frances McDormand, a regular in Coen films, plays her part very well as per.
Very highly recommended debut from the Coen brothers, and it's already rocketed near the top of my favourite films.
Quotes
Private Detective Visser: Gimme a call whenever you wanna cut off my head. I can always crawl around without it.
[first lines]
Private Detective Visser: [narrating] The world is full o' complainers. An' the fact is, nothin' comes with a guarantee. Now I don't care if you're the pope of Rome, President of the United States or Man of the Year; somethin' can all go wrong. Now go on ahead, y'know, complain, tell your problems to your neighbor, ask for help, 'n watch him fly. Now, in Russia, they got it mapped out so that everyone pulls for everyone else... that's the theory, anyway. But what I know about is Texas, an' down here... you're on your own.
Private Detective Visser: You know, you know, a friend of mine a while back broke his hand and put it in a cast. Very next day, he falls, protects his bad hand, and he breaks his good one. So he breaks it too, you know. So, now he's got two busted flippers. So, I says to him: "Creighton," I says. "I hope your wife really loves you, because for the next five weeks, you can't even wipe your own god damn ass."
[laughs]
Private Detective Visser: That's the test, ain't it? Test of true love.
Trivia
On the advice of Sam Raimi, the Coens went door-to-door showing potential investors a two minute 'trailer' of the film they planned to make. They ultimately raised $750,000 in a little over a year, enough to begin production of the movie.
The title is based on a phrase from the Dashiell Hammett novel 'Red Harvest', in which "blood simple" is a term coined to describe the addled, fearful mindset people are in after a prolonged immersion in violent situations. Blood Simple writers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen later made Miller's Crossing (1990) which is loosely based on that novel.
The finished film was brought to L.A. and shown to the major studios, and all passed on the movie. Later that year it was accepted into the 1984 New York Film Festival, and then shown at the Toronto Film Festival, where a deal was made with Circle Films to distribute the movie domestically.
Trailer