"Nobody'd ever believe that you'd be capable of doing what you've done."

A Simple Plan is a well acted, suspenseful character drama, perhaps not something you'd expect from Sam Raimi, the helmer of the Evil Dead trilogy, Darkman and the Spider-Man franchise. And yet, it's remarkably well done. Raimi takes some cues from his contemporaries and sometimes collaborators, the Coen Brothers, in both setting and tone, and the film's script unwinds with an appropriate amount of intrigue and drama. Paxton is good as the main protagonist, driven to do terrible things by greed, as is Birdget Fonda as his somewhat devious wife, but it's Billy Bob Thorton who steals the show. His turn as Paxton's complicit brother, simple and good-natured, but entangled in a violent and terrible situation due to his own ambition for a better life is just stellar, and among the best performances of his impressive career. It's a taut and excellently done drama, a good example of Raimi's range as a filmmaker and certainly worth a viewing.

8/10