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Blood Simple

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Blood Simple (1984)

98%
88%
92%
N/A
N/A
N/A
98 %
Reviews Counted: 59 Fresh: 58  Rotten:1 Average Rating: 8.3/10

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins

Synopsis: When a bar owner discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife, a complex web of deceit and double crosses ensues in a small Texas town. The Coen brothers' first picture is an intricately plotted film noir filled with surprises at each turn. The cast, largely unkown at the... When a bar owner discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife, a complex web of deceit and double crosses ensues in a small Texas town. The Coen brothers' first picture is an intricately plotted film noir filled with surprises at each turn. The cast, largely unkown at the time, includes Dan Hedaya as the cuckolded bar owner, Frances McDormand as the cheating wife, John Getz as the adultering bartender, and the fabulously creepy M. Emmett Walsh as the slimy, sweaty private detective who should not be trusted. The film is a marvel to experience; director of photography Barry Sonnenfeld has created stunning compositions filled with open spaces, and the sound--from the slightest footsteps or dripping water to a sudden shotgun blast--reverberates ominously, as if it is a character unto itself. Directed by Joel Coen and cowritten by Joel and his brother Ethan, BLOOD SIMPLE is an eerie testament to the limitless possibilities of low-budget filmmaking. [More]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh, Samm-Art Williams

Director: Joel Coen
Screenwriter: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Producer: Ethan Coen
Composer: Carter Burwell

DVD Info

Release:

Sep 18, 2001

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Ratings Image
4/5

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review
Ratings Image
5/5

As black, sinful and nasty as a weekful of Hitchcocks, this is as fresh and intoxicating now as it was back then. In a word: deadly.

Full Review | comment Comment
11/06/07
Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
N/A

The movie remains mired in a smart-alecky film-school sensibility.

Full Review | comment Comment
11/06/07
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
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4/5

Blood Simple isn't bad, just self-consciously poky and austere -- a James M. Cain homage, rural-art-film division.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/23/07
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com
Ratings Image
N/A

A remarkably assured debut for Coen.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/24/06
Tom Milne
Time Out
Ratings Image
5/5

A stunning debut, and arguably one of the Coens' two best features, this Gothic noir introduced the wry, sardonic, and playful approach that would shape their future work, and launched the screen career of the brilliant Frances McDormand.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/15/06
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Ratings Image
N/A

The script is so tight you can feel it screwing into the back of your neck.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/07/06
Mark Bourne
DVDJournal.com
Ratings Image
B+

The movie is as dark, ironic and fatalistically comic as modern film noir comes.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/21/05
Louis B. Parks
Houston Chronicle
Ratings Image
5/5

Com um estilo marcante já no filme de estréia, os irmãos Coen criam uma obra noir tensa, envolvente e que faz do absurdo uma de suas principais armas.

comment Comment
05/28/05
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena
Ratings Image
A+

A good filmmaker can make grim material watchable, but it takes a great one (or two) to make it fun.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/05/05
Rob Vaux
Flipside Movie Emporium
Ratings Image
4.5/5

Black humor, abundant originality and a brilliant visual style make Joel Coen's Blood Simple, a directorial debut of extraordinary promise.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/17/04
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
A-

...for all its delirious impudence and film school showiness, it's so clearly a movie made by guys crazy about moviemaking.

Full Review | comment Comment
02/21/04
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
4/4

Stylish shoestring noir, and an admirable filmmaking debut for the brothers Coen.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/30/03
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
1/4

The Coens' complicated sense of the surreal is consistently entertaining, down to the fleeting, oddball cameos and distinctly weird scripting.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/14/03
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
04/08/03
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
B+

This first Blood is worth a second look (or, of course, a first viewing) by fans who like their plot simple, bloody and completely engaging.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/08/03
E! Online
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
04/08/03
Onion AV Club
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
86/100

Director Joel Coen and his co-screenwriting brother Ethan rarely miss a beat with their smart film noir dialogue and perfect little details...

Full Review | comment Comment
04/08/03
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide
Ratings Image
A-

A deliciously decadent, delightfully twisted and masterfully macabre tale.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/08/03
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion
Ratings Image
B

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
04/08/03
Jason Clark
Matinee Magazine
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Around the Network

• Blood Simple at Rotten Tomatoes
• Blood Simple at IGN
 
 
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