Blood Simple [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

Director: Joel Coen Joel Coen

Overview

Marty (Dan Hedaya), the owner of a sleazy country-western bar hires cynical private detective Visser (M. Emmet Walsh) to murder his wife Abbey (Frances McDormand) and her lover Ray (John Getz), one of Marty's employees, who have run away together. Visser, never intending to to do the killings, falsifies pictures showing the murdered bodies of Abbey and Ray, collects his money from Marty, and then shoots him, leaving his body slumped in his office. Ray, returning to the bar to pick up some money he is owed, finds the body. Believing that Marty has been killed by Abbey, Ray, in an memorable scene, drags Marty's body to his car and cleans up the bloody floor, using his windbreaker. He drives to a deserted field where, in a brutal, memorable scene he discovers that Marty is still alive and kills him. Ray, stunned and disgusted by what he has done returns to his apartment where Abbey is sleeping. Visser, having returned to the bar to retrieve a very distinctive lighter he has left, finds the body gone and goes looking for Ray, shooting and killing him as Ray stands in front of the window, trying to tell Abbey what he has done. Abbey, not knowing of Marty's murder, believes Marty has killed Ray. She then has a final confrontation with Visser, who she believes to be Marty as she fights for her life. Blood Simple with its complicated plot twists and superb performances by all of the cast is one of the best American independent films of its decade. While made on a shoe string budget, the film with a brilliant screenplay, and masterful direction and production all by Joel and Ethan Coen wisely uses character and plot to involve its audience, rather than splashy special effects. The result is an small masterpiece. The entire cast gives the performances of their careers, particularly, Frances McDormand as Abbey, who never quite knows what is going on and the superb character actor E. Emmet Walsh who is unforgettable in the ironic, darkly humorous final sequence. This stylish, low-budget noir-style thriller was a remarkable and compelling debut for the Coen brothers, who went on to make, among other fine films, the highly acclaimed Fargo.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/20/2016
UPC:	0715515186216
Original Release:	1984
Rating:	R
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	A
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:35:00
Sales rank:	8,249

Special Features

New, restored 4k digital transfer, approved by Cinematographer Barry Sonnenfield and filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen, with 5.1 Surround DTS-HD Master Audio Soundtrack; New conversation between Sonnenfeld and the Coens about the film's look, featuring Telestrator video illustrations; New conversation between author Dave Eggers and the Coens about the film's production, from inception to release; New Interviews with Composer Carter Burwell, Sound Mixer Skip Lievsay, and actors Frances McDormand and M. Emmet Walsh ; Trailers; Plus: An essay by novelist and critic Nathaniel Rich

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

John Getz	Ray
M. Emmet Walsh	Visser
Frances McDormand	Abby
Dan Hedaya	Marty
Samm-Art Williams	Maurice
Deborah Neumann	Debra
Raquel Gavia	Landlady
Van Brooks	Man from Lubbock
Senor Marco	Mr. Garcia
William Creamer	Old Cracker
Loren Bivens	Strip-Bar Exhorter
Bob McAdams	Strip-Bar Senator
Shannon Sedwick	Stripper
Nancy Ginger	Girl on Overlook
William Preston Robertson	Radio Evangelist
Preston Robertson	Radio Evangelist
Rev. William	Actor
Holly Hunter	Answering machine
Carter Burwell	Composer

Technical Credits

Joel Coen

Joel Coen	Director,Screenwriter,Screenwriter,Producer
Daniel F. Bacaner	Executive Producer,Producer
Loren Bivens	Special Effects
Lewis Goldstein	Sound Effects
Peter F. Kurland	Sound Effects
Blake Leyh	Sound Effects
Skip Lievsay	Sound Effects
Barry Moss	Casting
Julie Hughes	Casting
Mike Bacarella	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Blood's not so simple when you're trying to clean a floor drenched with it, but that's all part of the fun in the Coen Brothers's auspicious debut. Directed by Joel, produced by Ethan, and written by both of them (their standard operating procedure), Blood Simple tells the story of a bar owner (Dan Hedaya) who hires a private detective (M. Emmet Walsh) to kill his unfaithful wife (Frances McDormand) and her lover (John Getz). Not much goes according to anyone's plan here, however, and Blood Simple delights with clever plot twists and turns, which are conveyed through audacious camera moves and richly expressive black-and-white photography. There's solid acting all around, but it is Walsh who steals this show in perhaps the best role of his career: He's perfect as a slouching, overweight archetype of snide cynicism. Performances aside, the film is a celebration of style and irony and a showcase for director Joel's visual inventiveness. A seminal film in the American independent movement as well as a cult classic, Blood Simple succeeds brilliantly as film noir even as its tongue alternates from cheek-to-cheek.

Barnes & Noble

A tribute to American film noir, Blood Simple was the Coen Brothers' remarkably confident film debut. It introduced the world to the brothers' dark and enjoyably warped vision, setting the tone for their later and increasingly famous works. Blood Simple also established the Coens as some of the most innovative filmmakers of their generation, featuring acrobatic camera manipulation and stunningly effective point-of-view shots, the most memorable of which is M. Emmet Walsh's view of a dripping sink. For his part, Walsh gave one of the best performances of his career, a savory blend of amoral sleaze and mean-eyed greed. His performance is the black heart and soul of Blood Simple, a film that churns with sadistic good humor as it delivers a brutal yet beautifully executed shot to the head.

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