The owner of a seedy small-town Texas bar discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife. A chaotic chain of misunderstandings, lies and mischief ensues after he devises a pl...
Blood Simple plants the Coens' trademark black comedy whilst divulging into neo-noir murder. Being not the biggest admirer of their work, Joel and Ethan Coen are renowned for their innovative use of dark humour in situations that are deemed socially unacceptable. With this being their debut, it's abundantly clear that their stylistic and personal approach to cinema was outset immediately, with their typical directing tropes littering the pitch black roads with a presumed dead body in the back of the car. It's as beautiful as it is brutal, two clashing tones complementing each other through their unique perspective. It just works effortlessly. After discovering that his wife is having an affair, a business owner pays a hitman to murder them both when the objective suddenly becomes very awry.
There are always two elements to a Coens film that takes precedent, and are almost certain to be celebrated aspects upon reflection. The direction and the screenplay. Joel has a substantial amount of control that exhumes confidence, whether it be personifying existential delirium or simply portraying the blood-splattering brutality. He, much like the grotesque onscreen characters, shows no remorse and produces a debut that would cement his talents for years to come. The gorgeous cinematography from Sonnenfeld highlighting the lawless neon-lit bar and the extensive range of varied camera techniques showcasing his talent even further. The POV shots when driving along the dusky road were sublime to say the least, and enhanced that noir flair oozing from page to screen. No surprise he became a director years later.
Ethan's screenplay explores the fearful mindsets of modern civilians succumbing to extended immersions of violent scenarios. The trademark humour found in a typical Coen Brothers feature certainly found its footing in this debut. The most particular moment being when we discover Marty is miraculously still alive momentarily. It's often sharp, however I find with most of Ethan's screenplays to be somewhat wordy. And by that, I mean scenes of excess dialogue are prolonged without any substantial development or depth. Notably the conversations between Ray and Abby in bed hold no purpose and allow the tightly wound suspense to dissipate, meaning Joel has to crank it up again. This mostly occurs in the second act, but it's a criticism I find all too common with their films.
Acting was good. Nothing particularly special as I believe the technical aspects outweigh the theatrical performances, however McDormand, in what was her debut, gave the most nuanced and relatable portrayal. Getz and Hedaya played off Ethan's humour with natural flair. One major flaw, especially in the theatrical cut, was the editing. So many scenes would be randomly cut in order to proceed with the next scene in order to progress with the story with a sense of urgency. Ray would be talking to Abby on a public phone, when suddenly an abrupt scene transition would find themselves in bed together.
The lack of narrative flow seriously endangered the story. Fortunately the plot itself was engrossing enough to bypass the majority of amateurish editing issues, with Blood Simple being a brutal exercise in directional showcasing for filmmaking ingenuity.
