TV & Film Review

Blood Simple

Feature Film | Joel Coen
By John Wilson

An intricate, clever rookie effort from one of America's finest filmmaking teams.

The debut feature by the great Joel and Ethan Coen, Blood Simple is a tortuous rural noir about a vindictively jealous husband and his naïve, cheating wife. Julian Marty (Dan Hedaya) is a wealthy Texas bar owner who learns through private investigator Loren Visser (M. Emmet Walsh) that his wife, Abby (Frances McDormand, in her first film role), is having an affair with one of Marty's bartenders, Ray (John Getz). Hired to kill the adulterous pair, Visser develops his own dastardly plans to exploit the love triangle, with Walsh decisively stealing the show as the conniving, maniacal mercenary. The film is—figuratively and literally—vintage Coen, rife with betrayals, dark humor, and expertly crafted tableaux complementing a multifaceted plot conceived by the brothers. Working with cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld, the Coens experiment with light and shadow to effectively heighten tension and give the film its noir-like feel. What truly sets Blood Simple apart from other neo-noirs, however, is the participatory role of the camera—it is an active presence, exploring (and reacting to) space, adding another layer to a film already thick with intrigue and, of course, blood.

TAGS: Adultery, Bartender, Betrayal, Confusion, Cover-up, Crime, Directorial Debut, Double Cross, Jealousy, Murder, Mystery, Noir, Private Investigator, Texas,

FACTS: Released: January 18, 1985 (20th Century Fox); MPAA: R; Runtime: 119 minutes; Cast: Frances McDormand, John Getz, Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh; Director: Ethan Coen

Blood Simple Trailer