{"id":41659,"date":"2018-12-27T20:20:08","date_gmt":"2018-12-28T03:20:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=41659"},"modified":"2020-12-18T16:17:22","modified_gmt":"2020-12-18T23:17:22","slug":"blood-simple-1984","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=41659","title":{"rendered":"Blood Simple (1984)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Never point a gun at anyone, unless you mean to shoot him. And if you shoot him, you better make sure he&#8217;s dead.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Poster-193x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"193\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-41660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Poster-193x300.jpg 193w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Poster-83x128.jpg 83w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Poster.jpg 628w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 193px) 100vw, 193px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA controlling bar owner (Dan Hedaya) hires a sadistic private investigator (M. Emmet Walsh) to kill both his wife (Frances McDormand) and the bartender (John Getz) she&#8217;s been having an affair with, not realizing he&#8217;s putting his own life at stake.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Detectives and Private Eyes<\/li>\n<li>Infidelity<\/li>\n<li>Plot to Murder<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary accurately notes that this &#8220;exciting debut effort, directed by Joel Coen and produced by his brother Ethan,&#8221; blends &#8220;elements of forties <em>noir<\/em> mysteries (particularly the works of James M. Cain), Alfred Hitchcock thrillers, and present-day horror movies&#8221;. He writes that after Hedaya&#8217;s order for the fatal hits, &#8220;stranger, more complicated things happen&#8221; and &#8220;everyone on screen becomes untrusting, nervous, and bewildered&#8221; &#8212; indeed, none of the characters ever knows all that&#8217;s going on, while audience members remain surprised in other ways throughout the consistently tension-filled (not to mention blood-soaked and darkly humorous) screenplay. Both McDormand (beautiful and compelling in her screen debut) and Walsh give stand-out performances, while cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld and composer Carter Burwell deserve special mention &#8212; though this is the Coen brothers&#8217; show all the way, providing ample evidence of the talent they have continued to collectively showcase for film fanatics. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> <em>Blood Simple<\/em> is an interesting entry in Peary&#8217;s book given that, along with <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2203\"><em>Raising Arizona<\/em> (1987)<\/a>, it represents the beginning of a long string of cult hits by the directing\/producing team which would surely be listed in an up-to-date and revised <em>GFTFF<\/em>, including at least the following: <em>Miller&#8217;s Crossing<\/em> (1990), <em>Barton Fink<\/em> (1991), <em>Fargo<\/em> (1996), <em>The Big Lebowski<\/em> (1998), <em>O Brother, Where Art Thou?<\/em> (2000), and <em>No Country for Old Men<\/em> (2007).   <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Frances McDormand as Abby<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-McDormand.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-McDormand-1024x555.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"347\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-41665\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-McDormand-1024x555.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-McDormand-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-McDormand-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-McDormand-768x416.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-McDormand.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>M. Emmet Walsh as Detective Visser<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Walsh.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Walsh-1024x555.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"347\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-41662\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Walsh-1024x555.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Walsh-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Walsh-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Walsh-768x416.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Walsh.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Barry Sonnenfeld&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Cinematography2-1024x555.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"347\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-41664\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Cinematography2-1024x555.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Cinematography2-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Cinematography2-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Cinematography2-768x416.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Cinematography2.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Many visually memorable moments<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Cinematography-1024x555.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"347\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-41663\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Cinematography-1024x555.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Cinematography-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Cinematography-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Cinematography-768x416.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Blood-Simple-Cinematography.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Carter Burwell&#8217;s score<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a modern cult classic. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cult Movie<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0086979\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/article\/2000\/07\/21\/blood-simple\/\">Entertainment Weekly<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1984\/10\/12\/movies\/blood-simple-a-black-comic-romp.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=7798&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s3650simp.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/review\/3828\">Q Network Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Never point a gun at anyone, unless you mean to shoot him. And if you shoot him, you better make sure he&#8217;s dead.&#8221; Synopsis: A controlling bar owner (Dan Hedaya) hires a sadistic private investigator (M. Emmet Walsh) to kill both his wife (Frances McDormand) and the bartender (John Getz) she&#8217;s been having an affair with, not realizing he&#8217;s putting his own life at stake. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Detectives and Private Eyes Infidelity Plot to Murder Response to&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=41659\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41659"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41659\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58403,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41659\/revisions\/58403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}