BLOOD SIMPLE. Directed by Joel Coen; written by Joel and Ethan Coen; produced by Ethan Coen for Circle Releasing Corp. Starring Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya and M. Emmet Walsh. Rated R.
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Blood Simple, as a movie title, is about half right. There is a good amount of blood in this movie. But it's not at all simple. The story is delightfully complicated, in fact, with romantic intrigue, jealous revenge and clumsy double-crosses taking turns in the spotlight. On top of that, the style is original and effective. Made on a shoestring by novice moviemakers, it's more than just a diamond in the rough. It's a real gem.
I can't summarize the plot in any detail, for fear of spoiling some of the dozens of surprises and plot twists in Blood Simple. These scenes are so beautifully set up that would be criminal. But you can know that the movie deals with a wandering wife, a jealous husband, a sleazy (and he gives new meaning to this adjective) private detective, and the actions, interactions and missed connections among them.
The story, simply told, would be trite and sordid. But as the Coens realize it, it's a classic of black humor and Hitchcockian suspense. Blood Simple isn't just an imitation of the master's famous scenes, however. No one takes a shower here, or goes up a narrow flight of stairs. But the whole outlook of the movie is reminiscent of the best of Hitchcock. The way it invests homey details like ceiling fans and bug zappers with menace, for example. And the humor which completely escapes the players, but that the audience finds so devilishly entertaining.
The performances in Blood Simple are all good, fitting the action and tone of the movie perfectly. Some of the actors may look familiar, mostly from TV. But none are big names. Walsh, as the detective, deserves special mention. He is one of those character actors you know you've seen hundreds of times (some of his credits: Ordinary People, Reds, What's Up, Doc). But though his characters have always been at least vaguely repulsive, he really outdoes himself in Blood Simple.
There is some graphic violence in this movie, and some just plain grossness as well. (The husband (Hedaya) tends to throw up at tense moments, for example.) But nothing is gratutious. And since none of the characters are sympathetic, their just desserts aren't too difficult to take. After all, no one feels sorry for the victim in a classic murder mystery. It's the puzzle of the murder that counts. Blood Simple has the same appeal.
But techniques not available to writers are exploited to the hilt here, too. Like crazy camera angles, and that creepy uncertainty as a character looks over her shoulder. (Is someone going to jump out of the shadows? And if so, when?) These tricks would be enjoyable in themselves. But to add to the fun, the movie is very tightly constructed, visually and narratively. So everything, from casual remarks to frightening images, serves at least a dual purpose. In other words, pay attention! You won't regret it.
The title is actually taken from Dashiell Hammett's stories. It means that particular kind of stupidity that follows the commission of a murder. Because of this phenomenon, the perfect murder may be impossible to commit. But it looks like the perfect (or nearly, anyway) murder movie isn't only possible—it's here.
March 20, 1985