Before “Raising Arizona,” before “Miller's Crossing,” before “The Big Lebowski,” there was “Blood Simple.” Joel and Ethan Coen's first feature only cost $1.5 million to make, but it's as tightly-wound a neo-noir as you could ask for.
Joel Coen's wife, Frances McDormand, stars as Abbey, who is leaving her creepy, bar-owning husband, Marty (Dan Hedaya). Ray, an employee at the bar, helps her leave, and the two become lovers. That should be the end of the story right there, but once we meet Marty, it's obvious that he isn't the kind of guy to take an insult like that lying down. He winds up hiring a sleazy private-eye (M. Emmet Walsh) to kill the two, and we're off on a classic noir tale of murder, suspicion, and Shakespearean levels of confusion.
It's an impressively complex and cohesive tale for a first effort. The scenes do get a bit slow at times, which is why this is one of the few films where the “Director's Cut” is actually shorter than the original. Even that cut drags in spots, but it's worth it. The cast is outstanding for a low-budget film, and the plot will leave noir fans satisfied. The series of errors and misunderstandings that draws the protagonists deeper and deeper into noir hell really does remind me of some of Shakespeare's tragedies. The Coen brothers went on to make even better films, but definitely don't overlook this classic.
4 stars out of 5
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