Review of Blood Simple (1985) by Mike D'angelo for The A.V. Club — 16 Jul 2015

The brothers instantly demonstrate their knack for coaxing beautifully offbeat performances from their actors, too; Walsh in particular is delectably sleazy, speaking his lines in a sneering Texas drawl that makes every word sound as if it’s turned rancid.

And then there’s Carter Burwell’s score—his very first—which lacks the grandeur of his orchestral work in later Coen films like Fargo, but manages to evoke a palpable sense of dread with a simple piano theme.

Insofar as their name signifies an aesthetic, the Coen brothers were fully formed right from the get-go.