Blood Simple (1983)

 

Blood Simple (1983)
Directed by Joel Coen
Written by Joel and Ethan Coen

Starring Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, John Getz, M. Emmet Walsh

Call me quirky, but I really like the Coen Brothers, and I haven't even seen all their films. Raising Arizona is one of my favorite movies; I first saw it when I was young and impressionable and it still holds up. I really enjoyed O Brother, Where Art Thou. Fargo made me feel uncomfortable, but I get it.

Blood Simple is suspenseful enough so I wasn't sure if it was okay to laugh. But some of it made me want to, though he subtle humor in this film, billed as a drama/suspense, is nowhere near as obvious as that of Raising Arizona.

SPOILER ALERT

It opens with the narration of one character who ends up dead, like in American Beauty...but we're not supposed to know that. Then... a recurring beat throughout the film that mimics a heart beat. We first hear it in the music in the opening credits over 'Blood Simple,' which synchronizes with the beat of windshield wipers. Later we hear it with footsteps and an an alarm clock.

I felt badly for all the characters, except for the scummy detective, played by M. Emmet Walsh (who also plays H.I.'s loud, obnoxious coworker in Raising Arizona). Even Abby (Frances McDormand), whom we think is shady and dishonest, earns our sympathy by the end.

The extended death scene was so pathetic at times it was almost funny. Ok some of it was funny. Not laugh-out-loud, guffaw funny...but funny enough that it makes you feel bad for thinking so.

I love the way the Coens craft their shots. There is a lot of zooming in from wide shots consisting of parallel lines that converge on a horizon, which speaks to the open Texas surroundings and also helps convey the underlying loneliness and alienation of some of the characters. The use of the handheld --- the excitement in some of the more suspenseful scenes.

I forgive the synthesized music because it works in this independent film. I think it adds to the film's charm, even though the film is a bloody drama. It works in comedies and bloody films for some reason.

Overall, I think the film holds up well. Something that is uncommon for an 80s movie: out of all the characters all the white males end up dead...and everyone else lives! Wow!



I noticed a couple of tiny things. When the detective is leaving Ray's house, someone is visible in the light to the right of the screen as soon as he gets outside. Is that a goof? Also, I could have sworn I saw Tom Cruise leaning against a car in a scene featuring a bunch of burnout kids (right before Marty meets the detective in his VW beetle).

I loved this film. I want to see it again because I know I missed some things the first time. I thought the ending was innovative and great...and pure Coen brothers. (Although I can see a Psycho influence with the dripping water...but it's still very much Coen, from what I know about film so far.)

If anything, the last month has inspired me to see every Coen brothers movie I've never seen.
 

 
// posted by wendy s 

 

Bloody Simple? no...terribly confusing

 

I sat down to watch one of the other Coen brothers movie's "Blood Simple", thinking it would be somehow similar to Miller's Crossing, which i enjoyed. It wasn't. I was pretty confused as to what was going on for the majority of the movie. It was bloody, gross and just weird. But, i guess the acting, and filmography were good, but i just didn't like the subject matter.
The movie starts with Abby and Ray sleeping together, despite the fact that Abby is married to Marty. A private detective hired by Marty gets pictures of the two in a cheap motel and gives them to Marty. This much makes sense, but from here on out the movie spirals out of control (sort of).
Marty and Ray have a mini-confrontation, and Ray quits/ is fired from his job (MArty is his boss). Abby moves into Ray's house, but not before finding and loading her pistol.
Then, Marty hires the detective, Loren Visser, to kill Ray and Abby. And the movie takes a serious twist. The viewer thinks that Loren kills the adulterous couple, but in fact he doctors photos of them to make it look like they have been shot. Marty pays Visser for completing the job, but then Visser shoots Marty, and leaves him to die. Throughout this scene, there are 4 dead fish sitting on the table which is a little unnecessary but makes the scene that much more unsavory.
Then, Ray shows up and attempts to clean up the mess created by the fact that Marty is not quite dead yet, and slowing dripping blood on to the floor (Ray thinks he's dead though). Thus begins the blood fest. Ray is a little on the stupid side, and begins to clean the blood up with his jacket. This scene is borderline ridiculous, as Ray hustles back and forth to the bathroom, trying to clean up the mess. Then he hoists the bloody Marty into his car and drives him out to the countryside. Something freaks Ray, and he jumps out of his car, looking terrified. When he gets back to the vehicle, Marty is gone. He walks to the other side of the car, and sees the dying man crawling on all fours, trying to escape. Then begins another highly uncomfortable scene. At first it appears that Ray is going to run Marty over, then he gets out a shovel, and it looks as if he will club him to death. But, in the end, Ray just buries him alive. (Ewwwwwwwww).
As Ray is trying to bury Marty, the dying man finds his wifes pistol (the one used to shoot Marty) in his pocket. It only has one bullet left. Marty tries to shoot Ray, but the chamber is empty.
After this Ray returns to Abby, and tries to talk to her about what just happened. He is slightly unstable by this point, and Abby is weirded out.
At the end of the movie, everything gets turned on its head. Visser now comes after Ray and Abby, leaving the viewer to wonder who really hired him and what his real motivation is at this point. He shoots Ray from an adjacent rooftop, and tries to shoot Abby, but she manages to temporarily escape. Then, there is a chase within the house, as Visser tries to find and kill Abby. She manages to shut his hand in a window, and stick a knife through it (lots more blood, yay). He break through a wall in order to free his hand, but by this point he has used all of his ammo. Abby has one bullet left in the gun that shot her husband. She manages to kill Visser, and the movie ends... .happily ever after? not so much....
 

 
// posted by etibbs