It's not as notably exciting or as delightfully rich as many of the Coen Brothers' later works, but Blood Simple is still a mostly impressive debut feature that typically uses its modest budget in a reasonably favorable manner, while also oozing with genuine tension constantly thanks to the dreary backdrop/unrootable characters here. Has a rather nice blend of gritty brutality and dark humor in it, too.

I love these Minnesota boys so god damn much.

LOVE Dan Hedaya lookin' like a psychopathic Andy Kaufman and John Getz lookin' like a traumatized John Ritter. Funny how strong the Coens' fascination with dramatic irony has been since the very beginning! Absolutely dig the theme in the score here, too– I feel like I rarely pick up on themes, but Burwell's stands out so well and it's so beautiful. To think this, McDormand's first film, also features three prominent red billboards that are outside of Ebbing, Missouri (as all of Texas is!) Damn, I love her. Love Barry Sonnenfeld too. The way he shoots this series of unfortunate events... marvelous!

funny how you can see just about every single career interest here, like they thought they might not get another stab at it. the dark, fatalistic sense of humor, the sweaty, southern existential neo-noir/western vibe, the cruel combating forces of self-interest and stupidity, the frequently mundane ambient hum of our existence and people trapped in farcically brutal contraptions of their own making where a minor miscommunication or impulse escalates into bloody death.

i can't believe the coen brothers invented anxiety in 1984??? THIS ALMOST GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK.....

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.

any movie: *is set in texas*
me: *instantly falls asleep*

the tension in blood simple is a slow, ever-tightening screw. the paranoia so overwhelming, it made my skin crawl. 

also i love seeing frances mcdormand kick men in the balls

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!

I love the Coen Brothers, and I love Dan Hedaya, so this one is a no-brainer. Really impressive to realize this was the Coen’s debut film- a lot of glimpses all over the place of their brilliance to come. The entire last half is a real thrill ride. Lots of anxiety/fun.

Would that it were so Blood Simple

really effective directorial debut that has a lot of the beginnings of the coen style peppered throughout. some really cool shots, tight dialogue, and some interesting characters to carry the narrative. the score is also tremendous and does a great job of building tension throughout.

a lot more straightforward in terms of the story than what they’ll do later on, but that also makes a ton of sense for a first feature on a low budget.

young mcdormand is also an absolute delight, she literally never missed from day one, which is unreal.

What a banger. Just one of those movies that makes you think "dang, that was a solid movie"

There’s something pure about the Coen brothers first film

qué tejano todo, igual me re sirve

Crazy that the Coens could come out the bat with something so accomplished as their first film.

“It’s not so simple, Blood.”

They don’t actually say that :(

Just classic Coen stuff, so of course I loved it. This has to be the perfect entry point into their filmography. All the hallmarks of their later stuff are here and work surprisingly well for a debut. Can't believe that this is Frances McDormand's first performance too.

You can see a lot of the pieces from their other movies here.

I had ZERO idea what was going on the entire time,
but every time Frances was on screen I went 😍🤤😩😌😏💦👀👄

OG Coen Bros. films make me feel weird. They're like high budget student films

Anyway, 3 stars for Frances

The first feature from the Coen Brothers and everything is already there, almost fully formed: The dry, genre-based playfulness; the mannered dialogue; a POV camera stalking the characters; and a boldly stylish visual flair.

M Emmet Walsh is gleefully sleazy although the other actors appear a little stilted in comparison, perhaps struggling with dialogue. A fresh-faced Frances McDormand, in her first film, comes out the best.

I saw the director's cut, made many years later and several minutes shorter. The Coen's apparently sharpened-up the editing so the original may not have been quite so impressive.