Blood Simple (1984)

Director: Joel Coen

Story: Joel and Ethan Coen

Cast: John Getz, Frances McDormand, M. Emmet Walsh, Dan Hedaya 

Music: Carter Burwell

Time: 97 minutes

Bottom-line: An intense, violent, blood-curdling neo-noir

Blood Simple is the start of the long and dazzling journey of two of the most prominent filmmakers of today: the Coen brothers. With a cast of four main members, the film is the story involving double-crossing, revenge, and the interplay of fate, and contains several other technical aspects that would later become trademarks of Coen brothers’ films.

Getz as Ray

In Russia, everyone pulls for everyone else. Down here in Texas, you are on your own.

Texas: Abby (McDormand) is the wife of Marty (Hedaya), a bar owner. However, their marriage is on the rocks, and Abby is having an affair with Ray (Getz), who works in Marty’s bar. Suspecting his wife, Marty hires a (unnamed) private detective (Walsh) to follow her, and send photographs. When Ray goes to collect his pay, Marty confronts him about the affair and warns him, but Ray does not budge. Marty then hires the detective to kill the couple. Soon enough, the detective reports back to Marty with a picture of the couple shot dead, but he has his own scheme. When blood is involved, everyone suddenly finds themselves in extreme danger, in one grizzly tale.

McDormand as Abby

Something about Blood Simple makes it very Hitchcockian: the ambience, the score, and the extended dialogue-less scenes reminded me of sequences from films like Psycho and Dial M for Murder. From the first scene on the headlamp-lit highway to the final scene where light enters the room through bullet holes on the wall, the lighting is an aspect that enhances the eerie atmosphere so effectively. The other thing I liked is, as I mentioned, the extended “silent” scenes – a feature also used in later Coen brothers’ films.

Walsh as the detective

The camerawork, score, and the acting are enough to take us through the progress of events, and dialogues are kept to a minimum, and suspense, on the other hand, is at screaming point. The scenes where the detective trails the couple, the encounter between the detective and Marty, followed by Ray’s arrival, and the climax are some pieces of brilliant filmmaking. The simplicity and the dark humour of the entire story – especially the way fate gives poetic justice to all – also make it stand out. The Coens often intensify violence in their films, and they do an exceptionally good job of giving a solid impact with every plot twist.

Hedaya as Marty

In every Coen brothers’ movie, there is always one “white” character: the clean guy (in this case, Abby), there’s an all-out evil guy (the detective), and a “grey” character (Ray), and it’s always the grey character who’s the most important one. The character development is excellent, and by the end of every film, you ask yourself if everyone got the justice they deserved. Frances McDormand has done a brilliant job in her debut film, especially in the climax. Getz and Walsh have their moments of glory as well, and the way the detective’s character has been created – with his double-crossing schemes – will make you gasp in shock.

Blood Simple has a strong impact on its viewers, with its relatively simplistic story and effective plot twists. The film lays the foundation for several techniques used by the Coens in their later films, but their debut film is equally impressive.

My Rating: 4/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94%