Overall Rating Awesome: 58.93% Worth A Look: 17.86% Average: 7.14% Pretty Bad: 0% Total Crap: 16.07% 5 reviews, 26 user ratings

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Blood Simple

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Price:		$10.99
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by Carina Hoskisson

"Its the Coen Brothers--you haven't seen it?--Shame on YOU!"

WOOHOO Its the COEN'S!

I make no secret of my love of the Coen brother's movies; there's something about that Frances MacDormand that I just love.

Blood Simple is a wonderfully noir film set in Texas. There are wide shots of landscapes, pulling you into the setting just as the snow expanses did in Fargo.
Dan Hedaya plays Julian Marty, a rich club owner with a beautiful wife, Abby (MacDormand.) He suspects Abby is cheating and hires a private eye to knock her and her lover off. What follows is a twisting plot worthy of any noir in the book (or on screen.) The characters are pulled and manipulated in multiple directions and the editing does a fantastic job of echoing it.
Hedaya's performance is a little out of box for him, I liked watching him play a more complex character. There are the other requeset 'nutty' Coen Characters, but thats what I love about their movies. The P.I.(Walsh) is pretty slimy and Getz, as Ray, plays a great Texan.
Again, the editing is wonderful. Its creative and really works to further the story. Watch for subtle techniques that set your blood pumping.
Blood Simple held my attention from the beginning and had me screaming at the screen at the end. Any movie that makes me want to jump up and shake the TV shouting at the characters to " move!--MOVE!!!" is up there in my book.

A tight thriller that is sure to make you feel creepy.

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link directly to this review at http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=1053&reviewer=44
originally posted: 11/11/98 18:11:56

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User Comments

9/30/09 Brian My favorite neo-noir - the intricacies of the plot are really marvelous. 5 stars

11/26/08 Leo T great film... much fun 4 stars

9/17/08 Stu A nice debut for the Coens, although nowhere near the greatness they would later achieve. 3 stars

4/18/06 matt Startling! An amazing thriller, Walsh is brilliant 5 stars

9/13/05 Indrid Cold Once again the Coens prove that they are the most ... overrated filmmakers in the biz. 3 stars

8/09/05 jeanne I'd switch teams for Frances McDormand. 5 stars

11/15/04 DM Jack Sommersby is wrong again. 5 stars

7/31/04 psychotic black dwarf No matter how good the film, naysayers will talk through the proverbial Khyber Pass. 5 stars

1/01/03 Jack Sommersby Overpraised, artsy, self-indulgent crap that's more manner than matter. 1 stars

12/21/02 PsiSeeker A good Texas noir thriller. Coen's Bros keep em comin! 4 stars

11/23/02 Charles Tatum My God, this was boring 3 stars

4/25/02 Dave MacDougall deadly good....the coen's best movie...... 5 stars

8/27/01 The Bomb 69 slow to develop, but you could see Coen brother's beginning to come around 3 stars

8/06/01 E-Funk These guys can't go wrong. This movie is fuckin stocked with suspense. 5 stars

7/24/01 Eggy Joe This film made me feel like I being watched, tidy up! 5 stars

6/07/01 missk there was nothing I liked about this movie 1 stars

3/08/01 jordan tiny shot of winking guy as he drove by made this movie for me. 5 stars

3/08/01 Jake Effective thriller but a bit too grim 4 stars

8/11/00 brian michener the coens' best, wickedly inventive and horrifying 5 stars

7/19/00 David Feltl Brilliant! 5 stars

7/06/00 Matthew Bartley Slow but still nice'n'sleazy 4 stars

12/19/99 Shaun I rewound the tape a dozen times just to watch that damn newspaper hit the screen door. 5 stars

12/05/99 Hargrove I hated this movie! I felt like I was holding my breath waiting for it to end. 1 stars

5/13/99 ras_jose@yahoo.com very stupid people doing vey stupid things,everyone gets what they deserve.its GREAT! 5 stars

10/10/98 Bluntman I'll never forget the drip at the very end. BRILLIANT! 5 stars

9/29/98 Marty in St.Louis Coens - Lebowski = 100% Fucking awesomefilms! 5 stars

IF YOU'VE SEEN THIS FILM, RATE IT!
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USA 02-Feb-1984 (R) UK N/A Australia N/A

Directed by Joel Coen Written by Joel Coen Ethan Coen Cast John Getz Frances McDormand Dan Hedaya M. Emmet Walsh Samm-Art Williams Deborah Neumann

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