Blood Simple
Directed by Joel Coen
- crime
- drama
- thriller
The story
The owner of a seedy small-town Texas bar discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife. A chaotic chain of misunderstandings, lies and mischief ensues after he devises a plot to have them murdered.
What it’s like
Flat Texas heat and dusty, sun-bleached exteriors give way to dim, amber-lit interiors: a bar and motel rooms lit by lamps, neon signs and the glow of a cheap ceiling fixture, with deep shadows pooling in the corners. The Coens' early camera is restless and inventive, with swooping tracking shots, low angles and sudden whip pans that give the frame a dizzy, slightly comic energy, while the violence arrives in quick, abrupt cuts rather than lingering gore. Carter Burwell's score is sparse and jittery, built on plucked strings and eerie, pulsing tension, and the wind and cicadas fill the silences. Overall the vibe is sweaty, darkly comic noir, a tangle of bad decisions played with a deadpan wink, and it suits a late night with the lights low or a sharp, twisty watch with friends. Violence is sudden and bloody in places, including a shotgun death and a body disposal, but it is brief rather than gratuitous; there is some sexual content and strong language, and a steady undercurrent of menace. It suits viewers who enjoy cynical crime capers, stylish camera work, and characters who keep digging themselves deeper.
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