In case you missed it … ‘Blood Simple’

Ask most people on the street what their favorite Coen brothers movie is and, for those who even know who they are, most will probably name The Big Lebowski or Fargo, Raising Arizona or maybe even O Brother, Where Art Thou? Very few, I’d imagine, would name a slick little suspenseful film noir called Blood Simple. Uncharacteristic of the usual dark humor the Coen brothers are known for, Blood Simple is one of my favorites. I highly recommend checking it out, if you can find it. The DVD is currently out-of-print except when purchased as part of a boxed-set. A used copy of the DVD currently goes for about $25-30 online and up to $50 if you can find it new.

Blood Simple (1984) was the feature film debut of film-making siblings Joel and Ethan Coen. While the Minnesota natives co-write and co-direct virtually every movie they make, it wasn’t until the pair were accepted as auteur’s that they were allowed by the DGA to carry both of their names on the director’s credit. The film stars John Getz (The Fly 1 & 2) as Ray, a bartender employed by Marty, played by Dan Hedaya (Commando, The Addams Family). Frances McDormand (Darkman, Fargo) plays Abby, who is married to Marty, who suspects she is cheating on him. Marty hires Visser, played by M. Emmet Walsh (Blade Runner, Narrow Margins), a morally ambivalent private detective to spy on Abby.

From here, Blood Simple spirals into an elegant ballet of deception and miscommunication between the characters. Once Marty confirms his suspicions he pays Visser to dispatch of his wife and her lover. Abby and her lover must fend for their lives as both Marty and Visser want them dead, but for different reasons. McDormand gives a great on-screen acting debut and M. Emmet Walsh is eerily creepy as a repulsive man with nothing but greed on his mind. Drawing from classic film noir themes, the Coen brothers put their brand on this genre standard. Blood Simple would also mark the beginning of a working friendship with composer Carter Burwell and cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld.