The owner of a seedy small-town 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.
The story of a bar owner, his wife, her lover the bartender, and the private investigator.
Joel and Ethan Coen are just like Mario and Luigi, they're super. With a debut film like Blood Simple, the Coen Brothers do it all and then some.
The editing. There's 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. Can you say, fucktastic editing?
The music. What a mix. One part is early 80's piano pop. I guess it's a piano. You hear the…
Noir-November Challenge! Movie #47
Joel and Ethan Coen's directorial debut throws more curves at you than the legendary curveball master Sandy Kofaux!
I wanted to say M. Emmet Walsh really NAILED his role as the sleazy private eye but after recalling the infamous window sill scene perhaps that distinction truly belongs to Frances McDormand!
Fate dispenses a world of hurt on folks caught up in a shit storm of deception, lust and greed in this twisted southern gothic noir!
A few of these folks are suffering from a terminal case of the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing!
LITERALLY ONE OF MOST GORGEOUS AND DARKLY HILARIOUS MOVIES I'VE EVER SEEN. I'm so glad the theater I saw this in was completely packed. This was the most fun I've had seeing a movie in a theater full of people!!! I love movies so much oh my god.
"I need unguent" - Steve Does The Coens
As awful as I found The Counselor to be, something good will come of it.
The subsequent discussion/scrum in the comments led to discussions about Cormac McCarthy and then No Country For Old Men. Then I started thinking, "Now there's a film I need to rewatch. Hmm, there are some Coens I haven't seen yet as well. Really need to get round to Barton Fink. And A Serious Man. It's been a few years since I've seen Fargo as well. And The Man Who Wasn't There. I wonder...."
And thus the decision was made to wade through all of the films directed by one or both of the Coens in chronological order,…
This movie has such a great tone. It's moody without being overly so. It's swift and easy going, while also containing a slow boil and brilliant atmosphere.
From Joel Coen's wonderful direction to their equally wonderful way with words, to the beautiful piano laced score, the small little background details and ways the actors play off each other, to managing to be intense and shocking using as little as possible (a sequence involving a shovel was the most intense I've been watching something in awhile).
It's amazing to me that a movie this good was their first, but then again, they are two of the best filmmakers working, so I shouldn't be that surprised.
Plus, it's always the sign of a great film that as soon as it was over, it felt like it had only started and I was more than willing to watch it again.
Highly recommend.
It had been years since I'd seen this, luckily after revisiting it remains my 2nd favorite from the Coens. Though they've made many other films, and all but 2 of them absolutely perfect, BLOOD SIMPLE still stands out as:
1. Their best use of soundtrack/sound design. They have put together some of the all-time best scores and soundtracks (my favorite is probably FARGO - goddamn!), but here they incorporate it as another "speaking" character. The sound of a lazily turning ceiling fan is made deeper and louder, becomes the sound of menacing footsteps or a slowly dying heartbeat.
2. Maybe their best "show don't tell", but of course the bits of dialogue pack a serious punch.
3. Their bleakest, and…
Blood Simple is Joel and Coen's directorial debut and it's the classic story of killing, sex, mayhem, and other fun Coen things.
Talk about unpredictability. I could never guess where this movie was going from when it started to when it ended. It was a non-stop ride of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat at all times. The technical aspect of the film had quite a few problems, but hey, it was the Coen brother's first film.
Now I know where Tarantino got his inspiration.
84/100
What makes this so excellent is right in the title: it's simple. The Coen Brothers take a simple idea and masterfully weave a neo-noir thriller from it, complete with that signature Coen dark humor.
Why did the Coen brothers keep making movies after this? Arguably the most perfect film ever made. Everything fits.
Direction: 8/10
Performances: 8/10
Presentation/Visuals: 7/10
Story: 7/10
Audio/Score: 7/10
Very Stylish and very Coen vibe, as a debut it is a great movie but i thought it had problem with the pace through out the movie.
The last 20 minutes were amazing tho and the private detective is iconic.
Tyler Warren 400 films
Letterboxd 20 films
Consensus for Showdown № 1: Most Remarkable Directorial Debut
Tobias Andersen 5,255 films
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