Alex Moss EditorI am one of those in the camp that The Coen Brothers are always at their best when working in or in the vicinity of crime noirs. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy some of their more quirky films like Raising Arizona but when they do dark and broody they really come to life. It’s telling then that their debut feature Blood Simple is their sleaziest, sweatiest crime thriller and as such remains one of their greatest achievements. So it brings great joy to see Blood Simple get a 4K release.
Fleeing town, Abby (Frances McDormand) tells Ray (John Getz) she’s leaving because she’s worried her husband Julian (Dan Hedaya) might hurt her if she stays. Meanwhile, Julian is angry about Abby’s betrayal so hires a local Private Investigator (W. Emmet Walsh) to dig up some dirt on his wife. From there, things spiral.
The plot is smartly slow burn, letting us in on everything but keeping the rogue’s gallery of characters in the dark. The result is a typical Coen Brothers mess of no one knowing who to trust.
What is so satisfying is the way all of these characters think they’re clever, they all assume they’re outsmarting each other but more often than not things conspire against them. And we get to see them for what they really are; materialists driven by greed and blinded by arrogance. There is something strangely familiar in the world we live in now in Blood Simple despite it being over 40 years old. That habit of self-preservation being what can become the ultimate downfall.
More than anything Blood Simple reminds you what powerfully visual storytellers The Coens are. Blood Simple looks stunning, its neo noir aesthetic pulsing in every shot. It manages to cross that divide from thriller to horror. The final act feels like it directly influenced the climax of The Silence of The Lambs. It’s a harrowing game of cat and mouse that escalates from beat to beat in vice-like grip.
The camera movements truly hook. One minute a scene can be intercut with people throwing rubbish into an incinerator, a visual metaphor for the world of the film, the next we’re following a pair of sneakers through a bustling bar. Come the climax, there is a sense of Sam Raimi’s kinetic camera moves to really amplify the tension. It’s worth noting this was The Coens’ directorial debut but it speaks with a cinematic language of a veteran filmmaker.
McDormand, in her debut screen credit, gives an early insight into her natural screen presence, bringing a sense of determined drive to Abby while always hinting at a fear of what the men in her life are capable of. But the film is bossed by a commanding and grimy performance from W. Emmet Walsh. One of those actors who turned up in so much as supporting characters but who always, without fail, left an indelible mark on a film. His PI is the opposite of what classic noirs would have us believe, there’s no sophistication here, but rather a character probably much truer to the profession; seedy, corruptable and without remorse.
Blood Simple remains a film of sheer brilliance, a world of morally grey characters all out to serve themselves no matter the cost, it is as thrilling now as it was over 40 years ago.
