Review of Blood Simple (1985) by Ross W — 17 Mar 2010

This is the first film by the highly celebrated Coen brothers. My perspective on this film is a bit backwards since it was made before I was born, and because of this I have seen all the Coen brothers' films before this one, rather than seeing this one first. Be that as it may, Blood Simple is a great film noir, a dark crime story spun out of control, and a collection intense, hair-raising scenes.

The story is about a small town bar owner in Texas who discovers that his wife has had an affair with one of his workers. He hatches a plot for revenge. There you have it. Nothing too complicated, but that's okay, this is the Coen brothers, and this is what they do best: crime stories. And although the crime drama may be a bit of a tired genre, the innovative Coen brothers' originality make this film well worth watching and very satisfying.

This is the brilliant Frances McDormand's first major role, and it was neat to see her so young. It made me wonder when she started sleeping with Joel Coen - perhaps during the shooting of this film. All speculation aside, she gives a solid performance as a somewhat innocent young woman caught up in a plot more dangerous than anything she's ever experienced before.

The Coen brothers breathe new life into the noir-style shooting techniques. The dark lighting is spectacular. I'm typically not all that aware of the brilliance lighting can inject into a film, but in the case of Blood Simple, it jumped out at me so flamboyantly that I could not ignore it. This film is so atmospheric, so moody, it's fabulous. Moreover, the tone of the lighting adds a great deal of intensity to the characters and their movements, dialogue, and facial expressions.

The story isn't really a mystery. There is a great deal of dramatic irony, but the viewer is aware of everything going on, so it's more of a suspenseful thriller because you're sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to see how the characters handle the situations you are already aware of. This style of storytelling is carried out very effectively in Blood Simple.

Overall, Blood Simple is a landmark debut film. The genius of the Coen brothers is blatantly pervasive in this film. If you're a Coen brothers fan and haven't seen this film, you really, really need to. Don't be surprised if you like it more than some of their more recent work (save for No Country For Old Men, which may prove to be their magnum opus).