Mutant Reviewers from Hell do
"If you shoot someone, you better make sure he's dead"

1984 R / Crime Drama Directed by: Joel Coen Starring: John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya

Tagline

Breaking up is hard

Summary Capsule

Bar owner hires a PI to kill his cheating wife and her lover, but something goes horribly wrong.

Mutant Meter

Movie Store [proceeds go toward monthly MRFH upkeep]

DVD | Soundtrack (Score)

Andie's Rating: Out, out damned spot!
Andie's Review: Okay, so recently the American Film Institute released their list of "100 Years, 100 Thrills." And at Blockbuster we were talking about which ones we'd seen and it turns out I haven't seen nearly as many as I thought I would have. So I rented a couple and started working my way through some of them. Blood Simple is the first one I rented.

"What ensues is a twisted little thriller about double-crossing and murder and all sorts of fun stuff like that."

It's an early Coen brothers movie and tells the tale of Marty the bar owner (Dan Hedaya) discovering his wife Abby (Frances McDormand) is sleeping with one of his bartenders, Roy (John Getz). So he asks the PI who did the snooping into the affair to kill them both. Except the PI decides to just make it look like the two of them are dead and take the money and shoot Marty. What ensues is a twisted little thriller about double-crossing and murder and all sorts of fun stuff like that.

This movie certainly isn't for the squeamish. I'm pretty tough when it comes to blood and gore and the like, but there were a few parts that had me cringing. There's a particularly gruesome field scene that doesn't really even involve blood and guts, but it'll still leave you feeling a little sick to your stomach. It's amazing what a human being will do when they think they're keeping themselves or someone else out of trouble.

I can see why this is on the list because there were some decent scares in it. I jumped a couple times and the whole ending climax scene is done wonderfully. It's suspenseful and creepy and really puts you on the edge of your seat. Most of what made this movie so scary for me was the music. I don't know what it is, but the recurring theme in the movie is very disturbing. It reminds me a little of the scary-ass music in Halloween. Anyway, Blood Simple is a good thriller. It's not my favorite Coen brothers work, but it's definitely a must-see for fans of the genre or fans of their movies in general.

"Movin' right along, footloose and FAN-CY free!" Some days, she just felt... blue. Joey had hell to pay when the landlord came around.

Didja Notice? [some sources: IMDb]

• How the camera kept focusing on the PI's lighter and ceiling fans? What is the deal with ceiling fans in this movie?
• A radio station's call letters begin with W. The boundary in the US between radio/TV call letters beginning with W and those beginning with K was not always the Mississippi River. In the 1980s, Texas still had more than one "W" station.

Is It Worth Staying Through End Credits?

Nope.

Intermission! [some sources: IMDb]

When Blood Simple was first released, two quotes appeared over black, before the opening credits. One was from Dashiell Hammet explaining what Blood Simple meant and the second was from Alfred Hitchcock about how difficult it really would be to kill a man.

A restored version of Blood Simple, with stereo soundtrack premiered at the Austin Film festival, 3 October 1998.

In the original theatrical version, as well as the version shown on TV, the Four Tops song "It's the Same Old Song" is played on the jukebox and over the end credits. In the video version it is "I'm a Believer" by Neil Diamond.

Groovy Quotes

Ray: If you point a gun at someone, you'd better make sure you shoot him, and if you shoot him you'd better make sure he's dead, because if he isn't then he's gonna get up and try to kill you.

Visser: The world is full of complainers. But the fact is, nothing comes with a guarantee. I don't care if you're the Pope of Rome, President of the United States or Man of the Year, something can all go wrong. But go ahead, complain, tell your problems to your neighbor, ask for help, and watch him fly. Now in Russia, they got it all mapped out so that everyone pulls for everyone else. That's the theory anyway. But what I know about is Texas, and down here... you're on your own.

Abby: I ain't done nothing funny.

If you liked this movie, try these:

• Tequila Sunrise
• Fargo
• Raising Arizona