Recent Reviews for A Simple Plan
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MCT:June 21, 2008A good movie that keeps you interested, with a nice drama touch. i'm no fan of suspsense movies because of the tricks the often use, but in this I found just some, mostly trying to distract your mind so you don't figure out the ending too soon.
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MCT:June 7, 2008A simple plot, complicated brilliantly on purpose. The cast is excellent, and the suspense is unbelievable. May start slow, but give it time and will leave you reflecting about your intentions and aspirations.
83/100 -
MCT:May 26, 2008Lou Chambers: It's the American Dream in a goddamn gym bag!
Hank Mitchell: You work for the American Dream. You don't steal it.
Lou Chambers: Then this is even better.
A wonderful drama/thriller from director Sam Raimi, with some great performances, particularly from Billy Bob Thorton. Raimi, who has made a name for himself namely from his two trilogies, Evil Dead and Spider Man, has made his most mature film here, dialing down his usual manic visual style. There is a lot of dark material here, but the story is so good, and comes together so well throughout.
Bill Paxton stars as Hank, a small-time accountant, working in a small snowy forest town. He has a pregnant wife, played by Bridget Fonda, and is general well settled in his life.
One day, Hank, his slow witted brother Jacob, played by Thorton, and another friend, Lou, stumble across a crashed airplane that contains a dead pilot and four million dollars cash. The three decide to keep the money, but on the condition that Hank stashes it, waiting essentially for the coast to be clear.
This leads to a number of quarrels between the characters, some heinous acts to keep the secret, and reveals of where this money really came from.
All the performers are very strong. Paxton is wonderful in going against the niceties of his character, turning towards the greed that corrupts. Thorton is wonderful at both embracing this simple plan that has gotten out of hand and revealing the depth of a character who seems much different on the outside. Fonda also proves to be darker than one would think, when dealing with how to keep this money.
Sarah Mitchell: Nobody'd ever believe that you'd be capable of doing what you've done.
This movie is wonderfully well made, taking a similar approach to a film like Fargo, minus much of the dark humor, to show a snow-blanketed town in which plots of murder surrounding money ensue.
Jacob Mitchell: I wish somebody else had found that money. -
MCT:May 10, 2008
Takes a while to get going, but snowballs from there. Makes you think a lot about what you would do in the same situations, or not. good pace and devolpment, and an insight into perceptions and interpretations. change of decision, greed and desire are also explored quite well here.
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MCT:May 6, 2008
"I wish somebody else had found that money."
Not only is A Simple Plan an absolutely brilliant, gripping psychological thriller but it is also an absorbing examination of human actions during times of desperation. The film is a thought-provoking and meaningful character study based on the popular novel by author Scott B. Smith (who also wrote the adapted screenplay).
I never expected A Simple Plan to be anything special, but decided to give it a shot after receiving a number of recommendations. As it turns out, this is a gripping thriller that you won't want to miss.
Hank Mitchell (Paxton) is just your average hard-working American male struggling to put food on the table. He is a man who obeys the law and wouldn't be capable of anything terrible. His wife (Fonda) is pregnant with their first child. In the film we follow Hank, his brother Jacob (Thornton) and a redneck named Lou (Briscoe). Their lives are suddenly changed when a walk through snow-covered terrain in a Nature Reserve results in them stumbling across a cache of money roughly adding up to $4.4 million. Questions are soon raised about whether to keep the money or just turn it into the police. In the end they come to a compromise: Hank will hold onto the money securely and safely until it is clear that it will be safe to split between them. If the authorities begin searching for the money, the men will immediately burn it to avoid suspicion. It would seem like the three men have developed a simple plan; however loyalties begin to blur as human nature and greed jeopardises their friendship. For the rest of the film's duration we examine the consequences of the actions of the characters; one seemingly simple plan that ends in tragedy and digs them in a lot deeper.
The film works on a basic premise that sounds like your average drama. A Simple Plan is far from your usual conventional thriller. Instead it steers away from the clichés and takes us for a drive into unfamiliar territory. The film isn't at all predictable, and it presents us with a compelling set of events.
Not only is the film extremely original and unpredictable, but the premise and the moral predicament of finding a sack of money is something we can all relate to. If you found a large stash of money, would you keep it? It helps the audience get into the mind of the characters. All of the three protagonists are in a financial struggle and hence are in desperate need of funds to keep them going. The film hits home because it is an accurate display of what human nature can cause one to do in times of despondency. The worst in humans is always brought out by voracity and greediness.
A Simple Plan is incredibly atmospheric. The opening few shots firmly establish the isolation and drab nature of the winter; a snow-covered landscape that hides many things. And of course recognition must go to composer Danny Elfman. His score was superb. The main theme especially sent a chill down my spine. With such great visuals and a fantastic score on top it was difficult to find yourself bored.
Raimi's direction for this film also gave the audience a sense of seclusion while surrounded by a landscape enclosed with snow.
Bill Paxton is fantastic in the lead role. At the beginning he helped us get engaged with his character - he's just your average mild-mannered family man who always tries to do what he thinks is best. Paxton is backed up by the equally superb Billy Bob Thornton. An Oscar nomination was thrown into Thornton's path for his superb character execution. He was always strong and emotional. It was easy for his poignant portrayal to bring a tear to your eye. His final few moments on screen are his highest point in the movie, though.
The script is well-written and surprisingly unconventional. The ending was something I certainly didn't expect. Unfortunately the film is sometimes quite stupid, which is the only drawback.
A Simple Plan cannot be missed at any cost. This thriller is effective, chilling and atmospheric. Do yourself a favour and rent it without hesitation. -
MCT:May 1, 2008
This is a brilliant film from beginning to end. One of the best psychological thrillers to this day, you won't want to be missing out on this one.
Bill Paxton plays a hardware store manager, Hank, who seems from the outside like a mild-mannered guy who would never do anything wrong or against the law. That all changes from one trip to the cemetery with his brother, Jacob, (Billy Bob Thornton) and their friend. While driving home a fox stays in the middle of the road, causing the three to crash into a tree when avoiding the fox. They bought Jacob's dog with them so before long he chases the fox into the Nature Reserve, so the three follow. They never expected to stumble across 4.4 million dollars from a plane crash when they where there, it leaves them with the decision of whether or not they should hand the money in or keep it for themselves. Hank reluctantly agrees to keep the money safe at his house until they know it's safe to share it between them. They were to move away from town if they ended up keeping the money, otherwise if things were getting suspicious Hank would burn the cash. A simple plan right? You'll have to watch for yourself to see the twists and turns experienced by the characters, as it leaves them wishing they never found the money in the first place.
Bill Paxton was fantastic as the lead role, playing his character extremely well and showing all the emotions you would expect from experiences like that. Billy Bob Thornton was brilliant in every way, playing someone who never really forgot about his childhood. Towards the end his performance became stronger, and it made me realise this movie couldn't have done nearly as well without him.
I'm so happy I watched this, it'll have to be one of my favourites. If you haven't already seen this, I really recommend you see it. One of the best performances from Billy Bob Thornton and a brilliant thriller that is easy to understand and enjoyable! -
MCT:April 28, 2008SIMPLE PLAN (1998)
directed by Sam Raimi
starring Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Bridget Fonda«I wish somebody else had found that money.»
A Simple Plan by Scott Smith is one of my favorite books. Thought-provoking and disturbing, its a very suspenseful psychological study of a character who manages to do things no one, not even himself, thought he could do. The film by Sam Raimi is quite faithful to the book, we get the same out of it. Of course it is, Smith adapted it himself. The first half of the film is exactly the same as the book, with just less details, things you cant really put in images. Then in the second half, Smith decided to change the fate of some of his characters, without ever changing to tone or achieveving what he did with his book. It was quite daring, cause he should know, as good as everyone else, that fan of litterary work often complain about changes made from the book. I personally think that sort of complaining is a bit childish and that what really counts isnt the way things happen, but the messages or the emotions expressed withing the actions, and Smith keeps the same ones as in his book with the differences he put in his adaption.«Do you ever feel evil?»Its a small town, a village. Hank lives with his pregnant wife, Sarah. He has an okay job, working in a hardware store. His brother, Jacob, doesnt have a job, he drinks a lot, just not as much his friend, Lou, who is glad to be the town's drunk. One day, they find over 4 million dollars in a crashed plane, the pilot is dead, they figure its drug money or something. Its a hard decision to take. Keep the money and be wealthy or turn it in. What would you do ? They keep it and come up with a plan. It seems simple at first but little mess up force them to reconsider their plan more than once.
A Simple Plan brings up a moral dilemma and depict it in a very pessimistic way. Greed can bring out the worst in any of us, and even sometimes bring a side out, that no one could expect. The ambiguity of A Simple Plan is extremely powerful.
Set in the winter, this film is filled with snow, and that gives us many beautiful shots. Danny Elfman's score is memorable and does interpret the disturbing aspect of the film very well. Sam Raimi, as a director, does something completely different from what we are used with him. Its not quirky at all. Its simply a good psychological drama, rather reminescent of Fargo to some extent. Its devilishly devastating and shows what human nature is really like, going evil in a split second.
Bill Paxton does a good job as Hank, the mild-mannered respectable guy who takes the lead, thinking he is the smartest of the trio. Billy Bob Thornton is heartbreaking as Jacob, his older brother, he seems naive but ultimately he is the one who understands things the best. Bridget Fonda is Sarah, she comes up with the plans, dictate them to Hank, she is smart, but the protagonist can handle her ideas, she does a good job as well.
A Simple Plan is a great film, very well-written, with good ideas. The violence, the psychology, the betrayal and the relationships between the characters make it highly enjoyable to me. One of the best of the 90's.
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MCT:April 17, 2008
This is a brilliant film from beginning to end. One of the best psychological thrillers to this day, you won't want to be missing out on this one.
Bill Paxton plays a hardware store manager, Hank, who seems from the outside like a mild-mannered guy who would never do anything wrong or against the law. That all changes from one trip to the cemetery with his brother, Jacob, (Billy Bob Thornton) and their friend. While driving home a fox stays in the middle of the road, causing the three to crash into a tree when avoiding the fox. They bought Jacob's dog with them so before long he chases the fox into the Nature Reserve, so the three follow. They never expected to stumble across 4.4 million dollars from a plane crash when they where there, it leaves them with the decision of whether or not they should hand the money in or keep it for themselves. Hank reluctantly agrees to keep the money safe at his house until they know it's safe to share it between them. They were to move away from town if they ended up keeping the money, otherwise if things were getting suspicious Hank would burn the cash. A simple plan right? You'll have to watch for yourself to see the twists and turns experienced by the characters, as it leaves them wishing they never found the money in the first place.
Bill Paxton was fantastic as the lead role, playing his character extremely well and showing all the emotions you would expect from experiences like that. Billy Bob Thornton was brilliant in every way, playing someone who never really forgot about his childhood. Towards the end his performance became stronger, and it made me realise this movie couldn't have done nearly as well without him.
I'm so happy I watched this, it'll have to be one of my favourites. If you haven't already seen this, I really recommend you see it. One of the best performances from Billy Bob Thornton and a brilliant thriller that is easy to understand and enjoyable! -
MCT:April 5, 2008This sucks. Period. Don't think this is underrated, it's just not good. Poor acting (besides maybe Thornton), decisions that no man with an IQ of over 10 would act upon, and just the whole film being overly ridiculous and unbelievable, make this Sam Raimi's worst flim. There are some good moments to be found throughout, but really, if you can't buy into the story then there's no chance of it being any good.
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MCT:March 20, 2008
Simply one of the best films of the year, perhaps the decade! A Simple Plan is about three men who find a huge amount of money in a plane wreck. They decide to keep the dough. It's like winning the lottery. It's the American Dream except that " you're supposed to work for the American Dream. But that just makes this better" replies one of the characters.
A Simple Plan stars Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton as two Minnesotan brothers Hank and Jacob who find the money with Jake's friend Lou played by Brent Briscoe.
The film is directed by Sam Raimi, the creator of the Evil Dead movies and there are some suitably macabre and funny Evil Dead touches to this masterpiece, although Raimi doesn't botch A Simple Plan up as he did with Sharon Stone's The Quick And The Dead a couple of years ago. This is a restrained, delicate Raimi.
A Simple Plan instead is on one plane a wry incisive comment on the human condition, but it's also a cautionary tale about the evil good men can do.
The characters are fascinating. Paxton as Hank is the brainy one of the three. He's been to college and has a wife (Bridget Fonda) who's just about to have a baby. Jacob is slow and sad with a big touch of goodness about him. His hair is lank, his teeth are dirty, he's in his thirties and has never had a girlfriend.
Jake gets drunk most days and nights with his boozing friend Lou, and both are unemployed. The prospect of a ton of money is as unsettling and exciting to this lot as it would be to any honest person who becomes suddenly very rich unexpectedly and illegally. This find is guaranteed to turn their lives up side down.
But things take increasingly violent turns until A Simple Plan has the air of a Shakespearian tragedy solidly biased by Hitchcockian twists. Add to this Raimi's weird sense of humour and a Coen Brothers, Fargo like frozen air and you have a superb film that will have you laughing uncomfortably as you ponder the extent to which men and women will go nuts and nasty when greed overcomes them.
Quite rightly both Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton are being touted for big acting awards as a result of their work in this marvellous film. -
MCT:February 23, 2008A very dark and intense thriller. Kept me on the edge of the seat until the end. Great perfomances by Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton. Strongly recommended to everyone...
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MCT:February 9, 2008
Just naturally goes as it is. Money found then things gone wrong (bad). Well, the primer idea is great.
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MCT:January 29, 2008
I really liked this thriller. It was smart and with a neat, and terrible (in the good way), ending that was well done.
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MCT:January 29, 2008
my all time favourite. great storytelling, stakes, structure all feels natural - like life and the acting is awesome!
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MCT:January 24, 2008
This was Raimi's attempt to be taken more seriously - it was just not enough story to showcase his ability. Still, he did a good job with the material. The actors were good as well. I just think it lacked the depth of a cohen brothers film.
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MCT:December 21, 2007
A very good movie that shows you that money is the definitely the root of all evil, and women only amplify that evil.
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MCT:November 22, 2007
I had seen this before but forgotten most of it. It was worth watching again. Billy Bob is great no matter what he does.
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MCT:November 15, 2007
This is a brilliant film from beginning to end. One of the best psychological thrillers to this day, you won't want to be missing out on this one.
Bill Paxton plays a hardware store manager, Hank, who seems from the outside like a mild-mannered guy who would never do anything wrong or against the law. That all changes from one trip to the cemetery with his brother, Jacob, (Billy Bob Thornton) and their friend. While driving home a fox stays in the middle of the road, causing the three to crash into a tree when avoiding the fox. They bought Jacob's dog with them so before long he chases the fox into the Nature Reserve, so the three follow. They never expected to stumble across 4.4 million dollars from a plane crash when they where there, it leaves them with the decision of whether or not they should hand the money in or keep it for themselves. Hank reluctantly agrees to keep the money safe at his house until they know it's safe to share it between them. They were to move away from town if they ended up keeping the money, otherwise if things were getting suspicious Hank would burn the cash. A simple plan right? You'll have to watch for yourself to see the twists and turns experienced by the characters, as it leaves them wishing they never found the money in the first place.
Bill Paxton was fantastic as the lead role, playing his character extremely well and showing all the emotions you would expect from experiences like that. Billy Bob Thornton was brilliant in every way, playing someone who never really forgot about his childhood. Towards the end his performance became stronger, and it made me realise this movie couldn't have done nearly as well without him.
I'm so happy I watched this, it'll have to be one of my favourites. If you haven't already seen this, I really recommend you see it. One of the best performances from Billy Bob Thornton and a brilliant thriller that is easy to understand and enjoyable! -
MCT:November 13, 2007
man, they just keep getting in deeper & deeper! what a tangled mess. billy bob thornton in a weird role (how surprising!). a great story & the setting reminds me of winter around here..
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MCT:November 12, 2007The characters at the beginning of the film seem blocky and just flat stupid. Could of been better but a good thiller none the less.
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MCT:October 17, 2007
An underrated gem of a film! Sam Raimi's best film so far. The characters are beautifully played, the plotting is classy, the script is terrific and the whole thing is done with a grown-up attention to storytelling previously unseen in Raimi's work. He would be wise to return to this kind of filmmaking!
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MCT:September 16, 2007
love this film, and another reason why billy bob is a genius. 2 brothers and a mate find money and a abandond plane, after much debate they decide to keep it, but wait a while, so from this point we watch as the money and the thought of spending it plays on these guys mind, it doesent help when the friend is a loose cannon and needs money, so we watch as the three go about there life, and if events will catch up with them, a great drama here bill paxton getting a great main role, and hes very good, bridget fonda as his pregnant wife, who sort of takes over making decisions, is great, interestinly directed by sam raimi(evil dead spiderman) and shows a different side to his work, and watching billy bob create another charactor, is great, he loves his props, and a very pittyful charactor, and what happens at the end is heartbraking, the plot although slow paced, grabs you and with a nice change in the 3rd act, quite gripping, if you liked fargo, quite similer but oviously not as funny
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MCT:September 7, 2007
Offhand, I'd say this is the only "normal" Sam Raimi movie that ever interested me. I've notoriously had an affection for the man's work since first seeing Army of Darkness about twelve or thirteen years ago, and even more so after moving into its prequels in subsequent years (Evil Dead was the last film to truly creep me out and scare me, or at least the second to last).
A Simple Plan, though, is not a 'scary' movie--certainly not in the horrific sense especially. It's about a group of men in a small town who find $4,400,000 in a crashed plane in the woods--and it's about the effect that kind of money has on people and their actions.
Unsurprisingly, the film was very well put together by Raimi, and the performances from Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton were also unsurprising in their excellence. Billy Bob once again climbs fully into a character and develops a whole new set of movements and speech patterns that perfectly match his character and disguise him as much as he can be. Paxton has one of his few-and-far-between "normal" roles--looking back at Aliens, Near Dark, and One False Move he is always imbued with an excess of energy and a lot of extra emotion. Here he pulls off a person like any of us so perfectly that the exquisiteness is actually highlighted by his normality.
The relationships between Jacob and Hank (Billy Bob and Bill) as well as Hank's wife (Bridget Fonda) and their friend Lou (Brent Briscoe) develop quite realistically, some seeing the money as purely fortuitous coincidence to take advantage, some holding to their morals as best they can--and occasionally revealing themselves as the most unscrupulous and greedy. It's utterly fascinating to see how everyone deals with it, what their motivation is and what they will do to hold onto everything.
Things, naturally, spin out of control, but the spin is controlled and logical (or at least sensical in light of the characters) and holds up perfectly throughout.
The most surprising star, though, was Danny Elfman's score, with a recurring melody of slightly off-key, off-kilter notes that convey the moral slope the characters find themselves choosing whether or not to slide down. Brilliant, subtle and unrecognizable as Danny--which is a good thing here, his quirky Boingo-y work for most Tim Burton films would have been wholly inappropriate, even if quite good--the score fits perfectly with the film.
Throw in a small role for Gary "Buck...with a B" Cole, and you've got a damn solid film going.
One I did later realize I had, in fact, seen part of before. But no matter, it held my interest anyway. Definitely a worthwhile 4.88--even if the only extra was the trailer (which should be mandatory anyway)--but that was in nice condition and in widescreen, two things most DVDs can't seem to accomplish, even with similarly aged (occasionally even newer!) films.
EDIT: I also just read that Ben Stiller was originally attached to direct. Thank crap that fell through. Ugh. (2/12/06) -
MCT:August 31, 2007
great story, great performances, and another amazingly lovable, sympathetic billy bob character. this role is right in his wheelhouse.
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MCT:August 20, 2007
This dramatic thriller is a cautionary tale about the perils of money; the greed, distrust and paranoia associated with it. In "A Simple Plan," what started out as, well, a simple plan escalates out of control. A masterfully suspenseful film with great performances by Billy Bob Thorton and Jane Fonda, "A Simple Plan" is definitely worth checking out.
