Blood Simple is a dark and bloody black comic thriller. It's sick, it's twisted, its gory and it's a near masterpiece of low budget independent filmmaking. This slightly re-edited version of the film improves it slightly. A few minutes have been excised from the middle of the movie improving the pacing over the original. But most probably won't notice the differences.

When Blood Simple was first released in 1984, very few people knew who Joel and Ethan Coen were. They had written a few screenplays and worked with Sam Raimi on films like Evil Dead and Crimewave. After the film won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize in 1985 it got a wider theatrical release and jump-started the careers of the Coen's. They helped give new energy to the mini-genre of updated neo-noir which would later give us John Dahl's Red Rock West and Last Seduction. Blood Simple however wasn't treading in the same territory of Body Heat… it was treading in the world of the real pulps, updated with some camp values, and style to burn. Land of the Ceiling Fans is what I affectionately called the film when I first left the theatre after seeing the film for the first time in 1984. It even has a ceiling fan cam shot

There are several memorable visual highpoints in the film. And I won't spoil them by pointing them out to you here. In fact part of the humor of the film comes from some of the camera movements and angles. That's of course a real obvious mark of style over substance, and the film doesn't hide the fact that it is very much an overly stylized film.

In 2000 the Coen's got the opportunity to fine-tune their feature film .. They fixed a couple of gaffe's, they added a song they didn't quite have the time and money to get the musical rights to when the film was first released (the Four Tops "I Can't Help Myself" now plays on the jukebox) and they shortened the film by several minutes. Since they then decided to add a not-to be-taken seriously introduction to the film, the film stays within a few seconds of its original running time. It's actually almost a minute less altogether making it the first director's cut of a film that gives you less !!!! The Coen's do enjoy pulling people's legs every chance they get.

Blood Simple plays like an updated James M. (Postman Always Rings Twice) Cain novel. A jealous husband (Dan Hedaya) hires a sleazy private detective (M.Emmet Walsh) to get proof his wife (Frances McDormand) is cheating on him (the wife's lover is played by John Getz). The husband then decides he wants to kill his wife and her lover. The detective seems interested in the job for 10 grand. Things do not go as planned. With almost excruciating detail, the plot of the film twists and turns in inventive ways that stretch credibility a bit, but are still easy to go along with. The suspense builds to a very satisfying and memorable climax.

The film boasts some fine and very entertaining performance from a mostly stellar cast, but it's Frances McDormand (Mr. Joel Coen) and M. Emmet Walsh who get the most screen time and highest marks.

You'll be reminded quite a bit of the Coen's Fargo (--the landscape here is a desolate area in Texas --though it was filmed in the Austin area) but this film is not quite as slickly paced nor as well produced as Fargo is. In many ways I still like Blood Simple better. And the film has an effective and satisfying ending, unlike most of the Coen's films which really needed better, more satisfying conclusions (The Big Lebowski, Hudsucker Proxy and even O Brother Where Art Thou for example). This film's stylish-ness combined with nearly all of the characters being unlike-able give the film a streak of coldness that allows the film-makers aloofness to seem in balance with the film. The Coen's are too hip for the room but that's really not their fault--though they recognize how they are perceived and make fun of their image when talking about and marketing their films.

Some of the clever style of the film is due to the inventive camera angles and movements employed by a first-time cinematographer named Barry Sonnenfeld. Yes, THAT Barry Sonnenfeld, after working with the Coen's on films like Raising Arizona and Miller's Crossing, Sonnenfeld became a director and is known for The Addams Family, Get Shorty, Men in Black and (ouch) Wild Wild West.

The music in the film is from the grossly under appreciated Carter Burwell whose handled the music for all of the Coen Brothers films.

Listen fast for the voice of Holly Hunter who'll play a much more memorable role in the Coen's Raising Arizona.

DVD STUFF

The film was meticulously restored last year (2000) prior to its brief theatrical re-release and the picture quality is top notch. One might notice some minor problems in a couple of the film's darkest sequences perhaps because of black levels, which were not re-done for the brief scenes. There's a touch of grain in some scenes but it's a far better looking film than most very low budget 1.5 million-dollar films.

Mostly its dialogue drives the film so a digital re-recording and re-mix of sound to create a 5.1 mix would be overkill. The 2.0 stereo mix we get is clean, sounds very full, and the dialogue is crisp and clean.

It's a huge improvement over the previous VHS versions that were once available of this film.

Note: A region 2 Spanish Blood Simple disc was released earlier in the year, has been well reviewed and boasts a 5.1 Dolby soundtrack. I can't vouch for claims that it's a better disc though.

Extra Features:

Trailer, Commentary (see below), Cast and Crew Filmographies and Production Notes.

COMMENTARY TRACK:

The commentary is a dry put on. A fictitious character pretends to be a ridiculously stuck up film-historian who doesn't know what he's talking about, and who doesn't really understand some of the film tricks and techniques he tries to explain. It's a rather one-note kind of joke that doesn't sustain itself for the entire commentary but it's a clever idea and I enjoyed it.

BOTTOM LINE:

If you're a fan of the Coen's, any of the cast, or update film noirs, you'd better buy yourself a copy for your collection as soon as possible. Blood Simple has never looked or sounded better. If you aren't familiar with the film and aren't too squeamish, rent it soon and enjoy.

Christopher Jarmick, is the author of The Glass Cocoon with Serena F. Holder a critically acclaimed, steamy suspense thriller. For more information visit the web site at: http://www.radiofreegallery.com/jarmicknholder.htm

Original portions of this review Copyright© Christopher J. Jarmick 2001. The above work is protected by international copyright law.