Dan Hedaya, Deborah Neumann, Frances McDormand

A Texas bar owner hires a private detective to kill his wife and her lover, but things don't go as planned when double-crossing and betrayal abound.

Flixster Users

86% liked it

8,786 ratings

Critics

98% liked it

60 critics

R, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Release Date: September 1, 1984

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DVD Release Date: September 18, 2001

Stats: 1,689 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,689)


  • October 14, 2009
    Fairly slow moving, yet the last 10 minutes completely made up for it. A young Frances McDormand clearly shows her talents for a leading role and with and with this being an early Coen Bro?s film, there are certainly hints of their promising future here.

    I like the storyline,...( read more) just thought it could have been made a little more suspenseful perhaps thoughout the first part.
  • August 9, 2009
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    Marty hires a private investigator to spy on h...( read more)is wife, who he suspects of cheating. When Marty hires the investigator to kill his wife and her lover, things get very complex. (IMDB)


    Blood Simple is the Coen Bros' first feature film from 1984. It also features Frances McDormand, wife of Joel Coean and frequent collaborator in their films. Blood Simple is quite simply brilliant and of course the beginnings of what would later become two of Hollywood?s great film directors. One of my favourite Coen bros films and perhaps one of my favourite films.

    The film also has many man similar characteristics to the Coean Bros 2007 film No Country for Old Men. It's an incredibly dark tale and contains a lot of shots that are in No Country for Old Men. What is also brilliant about this is the use of diegetic sound. That being that it's mainly in the picture that we hear music and aspects of surround sound. We also hear who would later become one of the main characters narrating at the beginning, which is what was in No Country for Old Men. This creates a far more realistic image to the audience and you really feel part of the film.

    Worth mentioning some great tracking shots following characters which are just genius and brilliant to watch. Blood Simple is obviously brilliantly directed and such the attention to detail to perfection. The tension in Blood Simple is evident in many scenes and really makes you the viewer on tender hooks itching to know what will come next. I found myself on the edge of my bed just like that. The cinematography, especially in the opening sequence is again perfection. When we are introduced to the two main characters we feel claustrophic in the scene mainly due to the brilliant lighting in this scene.

    Blood Simple contains a cleverly written script. One which incorporates humour, with a dark, twisted tale in the form of a film-noir. With all that entrenched in the film, it stars off as a predictable story but with a few twists and turns ( which is what The Coen Bros later did in their films) it becomes more of a complex and more engaging tale which I feel is perfection ( as I've stated before.) I've also got to admit that it will feel like a David Lynch film for the first 40 mins.

    Blood Simple is one of cinema's forgotten gems and one which is of course overshadowed by the Coens later and better known titles. If you?ve not got into their body of work yet start with this as it really is a masterful piece of work. Brilliant! Don't expect you?re average crime of passion when you watch this.

    Superb

    10/10

    Masterpiece.
  • June 2, 2009
    Tense, gripping thriller with shady duplicitous characters. Obvious forerunner to Fargo and No Country. The late M. Emmet Walsh is particularly good as the not-so-stupid hitman.
  • May 24, 2009
    The Coen's debut film about a murder-for-hire that goes horribly wrong. The acting is all top-notch and the film is a great example of film noir, especially coming out of the 80's and not the 40's. McDormand, Hedaya and Getz are all excellent in this and the Coen's give this movi...( read more)e a great direction with incredible camera work, which never gets it's proper credit in their films. I would be remiss, too, without saying M. EMMET WALSH IS THE FUCKING MAN!!!
  • May 2, 2009
    Blood Simple establishes themes that becomes the apparent staples for most if not all of the Coen Brothers movies--murder and money. It's a slow and deliberate movie that ask for a lot of patience from its viewer as it relies more on its characters than its actual plot. The Coens...( read more)' trademark style can be seen pushing out of the ground and overall it's a noteworthy debut. The cast is great (especially the especially sleazy late great M. Emmet Walsh) and the direction superb. In the minus column the movie didn't age very well but I guess that's why they call it low budget. I saw Blood Simple years ago and was completely unimpressed. I'm definitely glad I took the time to revisit it.
  • November 7, 2009
    This is an outstanding early effort by the Coen brothers! A great low budget film noir. A great plot makes this film a must see.
  • October 31, 2009
    People don't share information and people die. Well-made, good acting. Could be called black humor if you have an arid sense of humor. I liked it and will see it again.
  • October 26, 2009
    Irmãos Coen e suas confusões.
  • October 18, 2009
    The Coen Brothers' first (and very acclaimed) movie of money, betrayal, love, and murder told in pure noir/Hitchcock fashion.
  • September 30, 2009
    Now that the Coen Bros. have been major filmmakers for years, it's cool to go back and watch their debut again (or for the first time). Particuarly resonant are its similarities to NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, the Sam Raimi touches, and the effortless stylistic machinations of doom. T...( read more)he great character actor M. Emmett Walsh almost steals the show. Neo-noir at its best. The ending is simply brilliant.

Critic Reviews


April 8, 2003
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

The Coens, then as now, are alive to the possibilities of movies. So savor their technique and the sizzling performances. full review

April 8, 2003
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

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... full review

View more Blood Simple reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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Blood Simple Trivia


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