Review of Blood Simple (1985) by Shannon M — 07 Nov 2008

This is where it all began for cinema's greatest filmmaking siblings, Joel and Ethan Coen. A modern, noirish thriller set deep in the heart of Texas, involving murder and money, rather like a certain Oscar-winning film they would make over 20 years later!! ;) This one has bar-owner Julian Marty (Dan Hedaya), who finds out that his wife Abby (Frances McDormand) is cheating on him with Ray (John Getz).

In a fit of jealous rage, Marty hires private detective Loren Visser (M. Emmet Walsh) to kill his wife and her lover, but it turns out Visser has his own agenda planned out, and things get very complicated from there on out.

Made for a meagre $1.5 million, this is perhaps the greatest film debut of any director in cinema history, because it feels professional, and from looking at it, you'd think they'd made films long before this one.

It's a complex but gripping thriller which set a standard for Coen's films, it's very offbeat but it was the start of one of the best careers in cinema, since the Coen's started making films, the world hasn't been the same since!! :D.