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Actors: Frances McDormand, John Getz, Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Blood Simple |
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Marty, the owner of a scummy bar in a small Texas town (Hedaya), is sure his wife Abby (McDormand) is cheating on him with a bartender, Ray (Getz). He hires Loren Visser (Walsh), a sleazy private detective, to get proof, and then to kill the lovers. But Visser takes the money and kills Marty instead, since he'd have to kill him anyway to keep him quiet, and this way he'll only have one murder on his hands. But the misunderstandings, deceit, and double and triple crosses don't stop there. This jumpy and ironic 1984 noir was not only the first feature film by writer-director brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, but the debut of its star McDormand (who married Ethan Coen soon after), cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld (who went on to become a fine director in his own right), and composer Carter Burwell. It's not perfect, but it is memorably entertaining.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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BLOOD SIMPLE is a movie written, produced and directed by the Coen brothers in 1983. The movie won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
Marty's wife, Abby, is cheating on him with Marty's employee Ray. But Marty has hired a private detective who comes up with incriminating pictures. Marty asks the detective to kill the two lovers while he's going on vacation. But the detective is smarter than Marty thought and imagines a scheme involving the murder of Marty by Abby and Ray.
--Daniel Staebler, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Blood Simple |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1980's-1999
Romance/Love/Hugging
Yes
Kind of romance:
- inconveniently married while playing footsy
- spurned lover goes for revenge
Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Profession/status:
- homemaker/wife
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- blonde
Hair type
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn wavey
Body type
- (woman) skinny
Events of movie makes character more...
- sad
- tougher
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
Hair style
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) average build
Unclothed?
- chest
How much in movie?
- 40%
- 60%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- private investigator
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 60%
Body type
- (man) fat
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Texas
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- hostile, like Gomer Pyle on steroids
Misc setting
- resort/hotel
- bar
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- very explicit references to deaths and torture
Movie makes you feel...
- challenged
- excited
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- sex under blankets
Any profanity?
- Some foul language
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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