BLOOD SIMPLE A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2000 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): ***
In 1984 the Coen Brothers (director/writer Joel and producer/writer Ethan) brought out their first picture, BLOOD SIMPLE. A stylish piece of film noir, it has exasperatingly slow pacing but devilishly demented characters and a wonderfully wicked, labyrinthine plot. Characters die, or do they? And killers keep accidentally leaving clues behind.
The Coen brothers make interesting movies. Most people know their most famous picture, the Oscar winning FARGO, but even the brother's failures (The HUDSUCKER PROXY for example) contain large flashes of brilliance.
In order, one supposes, to celebrate roughly their first 15 years, they are releasing a director's cut of BLOOD SIMPLE to the theaters. They claim to have taken out some of the boring parts and added in a bit as well. But the running time is about the same and the movie seems little changed with the exception of a hilarious introduction. The print is clean and the sound sharp.
As the movie opens, a supercilious film preservation expert in his library pauses in his reading and pipe smoking to provide us a little history about the film. He explains that the movie was a tremendous success and started the entire indie craze. After this delicious bit of satire, the director's cut segues nicely into the original story.
Abby (Frances McDormand) is married to Marty (Dan Hedaya), the owner of a cheap bar in a seedy Texas town. M. Emmet Walsh plays a slime-ball private detective whom Marty hires to investigate Abby's affair with Ray (John Getz), a bartender at Marty's bar.
Typical of the film's terse dialog is an interchange between another bartender, Meurice (Samm-Art Williams), and Meurice's blonde girlfriend. "Nice guy," she says of Marty. "Not really," Meurice replies.
The intriguing script is much better than the directing, and one is left with a strong wish that the Coen brothers had done a much more meticulous job of excising the boring parts in this director's cut. Still, it is a fascinating little tale and amply demonstrates the talent of these filmmakers. (For a little extra fun, listen carefully and see if you can recognize the female voice on Marty's answering machine. It's an uncredited role, and the actress does not appear in the movie.)
BLOOD SIMPLE runs a remarkably slow 1:37. It is rated R for violence and would be acceptable for most teenagers. (There is only a single scene that will have viewers squirming.)
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com
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