Every 16 years at least so far, the coen brothers 1984 debut, blood simple, gets a theatrical rerelease. Thirtytwo years ago and 17 movies ago joel and ethan coen released their first feature, the salty pretzel of a crime thriller, blood simple. As the coens have said, blood simple is closer to the sensibility of classic thriller writer james m. Sep 08, 2014 blood simple was the first feature starring joel coens soontobecome wife. There are a few lulls in the movie as far as plot and pacing are concerned, but i just love the gradual build up of suspense and the way the coens convert a rather simple jealous husband conspires to murder cheating wife story into something twisted.
The coen brothers first film, the gothic noir thriller, blood simple, which premiered at the 1985 sundance film fest, remains one of the 1980s most stunning debuts, marked by sprightly black humor, mordant wit, and visual cleverness. And yet it doesnt feel like the film is just piling it on. The cast includes frances mcdormand, john getz, dan hedaya, and m. K we were inspired by some movies in particular, we call them our holy trinity, which is lynne ramsays morvern callar, pedro almodovars volver, and the. Jun 28, 2016 as the coens have said, blood simple is closer to the sensibility of classic thriller writer james m. The coens magnificent noir debut blood simple returns again. Ooh, maybe i should have contrasted this movie with burn after reading. Blood simple 1985 stream and watch online moviefone. The movies a blood soaked nightmare in which greed and lust trap the characters in escalating horror.
Blood simple 911 movie clip lights out 1984 hd youtube. Blood simple was the first feature film from joel and ethan coen. However i dont think theyd make a movie this humorless again until no country for old men over 20 years later. A gloriously repellent performance by m emmet walsh is one of many. Blood simple has a lot in common with the coens later work, criminal capers, the american west, lower class protagonists, etc. This is the newly restored and reedited directors cut of the film, introduced by mortimer young. Synopsis blood simple was the first feature film from joel and ethan coen. Populated with fleshed out realworld characters, blood simple is less about the plot, and more about the questionable decisions that these characters make in various dire situations. See what the critics had to say and watch the trailer. Blood simple 411 movie clip marty hires visser 1984.
Blood simple is a beautifully crafted crime thriller, expressively celebrating the mystery and suspense of classic film noir. The stylish crime thriller premiered at film festivals in 1984. After a surprise doublecross 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. There are traditions whose origin is forgotten, out of need or by choice. This accounts for the films tone, an unusual synthesis of horror and farce. Not a bad thing though, as it makes for an awesome neonoir thriller. Its more than a little surprising to learn that, of all the coen brothers 18 features, blood simple is their secondhighest rated movie on the tomatometer. The coens concocted a plot rich in surprise and coincidencewith roots in the crime stories of such american masters as james m.
Blood simple is a 1984 american independent neonoir crime film written, edited, produced, and directed by joel and ethan coen. Joel and ethan coens careerlong darkly comic road trip through misfit america began with this razorsharp, hardboiled neonoir set somewhere in texas, where a sleazy bar owner sets off a torrent of violence with one murderous thought. But burn after reading is dummies digging themselves. The movies a bloodsoaked nightmare in which greed and lust trap the characters in escalating horror. The coens magnificent noir debut blood simple returns. The characters and plots seem to double back on themselves multiple times in a logical way, and that is what i think is the secret to its total success.
It was the directorial debut of the coens and the first major film of cinematographer barry sonnenfeld, who later became a noted director, as well as the feature film debut of joel coens wife frances mcdormand, who subsequently starred in many of his features. In an ideal world the dvd would be withdrawn rather than sold for. Rent blood simple 1984 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. In typical coen brothers fashion, the plot twists and turns, and things fall apart, and its all laid out with a measured, confident visual style thats clever but never too showy. With a debut film like blood simple, the coen brothers do it all and then some. Blood simple 411 movie clip marty hires visser 1984 hd. Emmet walsh looms over the proceedings as a slippery private eye with a yellow suit, a cowboy hat, and no moral compass, and frances mcdormands. Julian is a scuzzy texas barkeep who hires a hitman to kill his wife abby and her lover raywho also happens to be one of julians. The owner of a seedy smalltown texas bar discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with. Blood simple is a movie written, produced and directed by the coen brothers in 1983. The movie won the grand jury prize at the sundance film festival. All of the violence and death in blood simple derives from miscommunication. Blood brothers plot summary plot summary bbc bitesize.
Martys wife, abby, is cheating on him with martys employee ray. Blood simple mixes those fears and guilts into an incredibly complicated plot, with amazingly gory consequences. Blood simple was rereleased in the summer of 2000 with a digitallyremastered soundtrack and at the coens behest a few minutes of dialogue trimmed. It tells a story in which every individual detail seems to make sense, and every individual choice seems logical, but the choices and details form a bewildering labyrinth in which there are times when even the murderers themselves. False assumptions, guilt, and fear all lead to a frantic attempt to conceal evidence and the heartpounding, ironyfilled denouement. Vicky kaushal does his job effectively but is let down by a hackneyed script and a predictable plot. The owner of a seedy smalltown texas bar discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife. A chaotic chain of misunderstandings, lies and mischief ensues after he devises a plot to have them murdered. Blood brothers, a musical by liverpudlian playwright willy russell, revolves around twin boys mickey and edward who are separated at birth and brought up in. Written and directed by the coen brothers, this was their debut film and features many of their odd trademarks. Rent blood simple 1984 starring frances mcdormand and john getz on dvd and bluray.
Blood simple is a noir film with all the familiar ingredient except there are countless of twists. Blood simple begins deep in the heart of texas, where a jealous saloon owner hires a cheap divorce detective to. Until universal sort out the issues regarding how the film can be presented on dvd in its original form properly, blood simple a terrific film with an abrupt ending will remain a film that is of poor physical condition. With every word the four principal characters speak, the distances between them expand. The film itself explores the characters as circumstances turn them all blood simple, and is as neatly crafted as any hammett or james m. Blood simple was the first feature starring joel coens soontobecome wife. The genius of blood simple is that everything that happens seems necessary. Blood simple is a 1984 film about a barowner in texas who is certain that his wife is cheating on him and hires a private detective to spy on her.
Emmet walsh looms over the proceedings as a slippery private eye with a yellow suit, a cowboy hat, and no moral compass. Theres a ceiling fan shot that changes over to a scene in a bed, a finger press of an answering machine turning into a finger in the back seat of a car, and a newspaper that hits the door like a ton of bricks when dark news is delivered. Jul 14, 2000 the genius of blood simple is that everything that happens seems necessary. Dan hedaya plays julian marty, a dyspeptic greek bar owner, who is having his faithless wife abby frances mcdormand and his employee, ray, john getz tailed by sleazy private detective loren. Characters are found in situations of diabolical complexity.
Written and directed by the coen brothers, this was. It was the directorial debut of the coens and the first major film of cinematographer barry sonnenfeld, who later became a noted director, as well as the featurefilm debut of joel coens wife frances mcdormand, who subsequently starred in many of his features. Back in 2000, the marketing hook was a socalled directors cut, though joel and ethan had encountered no interference regarding the original release. Emmet walsh, sammart williams, deborah neumann, raquel gavia, van brooks director. The perfect ingredients for a film with a most diabolical plot. Once emily disappears, stephanie starts digging and, after a long journey, finds out that emily. Blood simple doesnt qualify quite as well, but through contrast definitely serves as an example of intelligent characters going through some of the same arc as an idiot plot without fulfilling the trope in its entirety.
This is coen brothers first feature film, theyve got what it takes to make masterful works at. For starters, the crux of a simple favor rests on a timehonored plot twist tradition. A rich but jealous man hires a private investigator to kill his cheating. Mar 18, 2015 after a surprise doublecross 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. Cain than to hammett, but that sentence comes close to summing up the movie. Blood simple opened in 1985, and though it took home the grand jury prize at sundance that year, it enjoyed most of its success much later amongst viewers willing to devote the time. To mark its 35th anniversary, lets take a look at how blood simple offered us glimpses of the greatness to come from hollywoods most original filmmaking duo. Critically bested only by true grit 96%, the debut from writingdirectingproducingediting juggernauts joel and ethan coen is certified fresh at 94%, beating best picture winner no country for old men 93% and titles that are.
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