Rating: 
Summary: the aficionado version
Review: This classic neo-noir has been cleaned up a bit and is ready to delight another generation of cinephiles. While obviously a low-budget independent film, you can't watch Blood Simple without being astonished at the sophisticated imagery and innovative cinematic techniques. It would seem unbelievable that this was the Coen Brothers' first film if subsequent features hadn't reinforced one's awareness of their unique talent. Carter Burwell's music is breathtaking, as integral to the action as Bernard Hermann's score was to Psycho. The cast is superb and DP Sonnenfeld works wonders with shots and lighting.Frances McDormand is Abby, the wife of Marty, a scuzzy bar owner in Texas. Abby is fed up and movin' on with Ray, one of Marty's employees and, you know, that's just not the kind of thing Marty is going to stand for. He hires the magnificent M. Emmett Walsh to follow the pair. As in the best film noir, no one is pure and no one doesn't lie. Double- and triple-crosses, misunderstandings and betrayals leave a bloody trail brilliantly realized on film with composite fades, Raimi-esque runs, excruciating foley work and a haunting score. The DVD extras are disappointing in quantity but not quality. There is a theatrical trailer; cast and filmmaker credits; interesting and informative, if short, production notes; English, French or Spanish subtitles or captioning for the hearing-impaired; and a commentary track. While one can't help but be disappointed that there isn't a Coen commentary, the remarks made by Kenneth Loring are absolutely brilliant. If this is, as he states, the "aficionado version", it is largely due to the erudition of this complex man; ultimately Loring leaves the film behind, far far behind, as he explores Merchant-Ivory films, explains animatronics, calls our attention to miniature smoke, exposes Adrian Butts, and laments the loss of the Bulgarian "Son of Todor" storyline. You will never see film in the same way again, once Kenneth L. is done with you. It is a real pleasure to see this essential film out on dvd.
Rating:
Summary: Only The Begining, Amazing
Review: In my reviews I consistently compare the lack of great filmmaking Today's film companies stamp out blockbuster weekend movies for quick profit. What I would like to see is the re-release of movies like this back in to the theater. Many movies fall between the cracks because studios will not do proper marketing. It annoys me to spend eight dollars for a boring movie. So many directors are placing a huge amount of special effects and action to make up for the bad scripts and even worse characters. The Coens have given the film world a memorable movie. It was a precursor to a number of amazing projects. Fargo blew me away. O Brother where art thou was inspiring and The Big Lebowski was just plan cool. Simple Blood is a perfect example of complex story telling built upon developed characters and well written script. It's easy to see a bright future for these film makers. In my categorization of favorite films this is a classic and in my top twenty movies. The DVD lacked a 5.1 track relying on a two channel. The picture was crisp but needs a criterion collection treatment. I have kicked myself not to have watched to movie sooner.
Rating:
Summary: its not simple at all, but it is great.
Review: Quite silmply(no pun intended) this film is one of the best ever made, and show's that the Coen's were always great even from their first outing.
The story is fantastic in its simplicity, jealous husband seeks revenge on wayward wife, calamity ensues. Think you've heard it before? Well i promise you never heard it like this, the term plot twist could have been invented especially to describe this film. But if you think that this is all seriousness and no fun, dont worry. The trademark coen wit is still there, the story about the guy with the broken hands is one of the funniest things they've ever written
The way the film is shot is fantastic aswell, i would nearly say that this film was an influence on David Lynch's Lost Highway in some ways, as the road scenes in Highway look very similar to those in Blood Simple. A small similarity but a similarity none the less. To put it into one sentence the lighting and cinematography are some of the best you'll ever see in a film.
All of this on top of some great performances make this film essential. This is the kind of film that can restore your faith in American cinema, as a foreigner i thought it was only that blockbuster crap that you guys made until i started to look at films like this. And thus i give it my full recomendation, this film is vital. Own it.
Rating:
Summary: The Coen Bros. first film - it's J. Cain, in much better!
Review: With this first work of cinema, the unknown Coen brothers, who just finished "The Evil Dead" with young Sam Raimi, manage to get the financing for producing and directing their first script. It's not a horror film... but it's not far from it! Actually we can't tell what it really is. Horror? Passion story? Detective? Black comedy? Anyway the two brothers take the codes of classical passion crime stories dealing with the usual triangle of nut characters (husband, wife and lover) and add a fourth, definitely rotten one. It's a private eye, wonderfully played by underrated M. Emmet Walsh ("Blade Runner"), who gives the performance of his career, a brilliant, amazing one, funny and chilling in the same time. WHO LOOKS STUPID NOW? The story is awfully simple: Marty, a Texas bar owner and betrayed husband (Dan "Usual Suspects" Hedaya) hires the private eye to kill his unfaithful wife Abby (Frances McDormand) and her lover Ray (John "The Fly" Getz) who's also Marty's employee. The eye pretends to do the job and shows Marty some fake photographs showing the lovers shot dead in bed. He takes the money, then he shoots his hirer right away and disappears. Ray, who doesn't know about the detective's existence, discovers Marty's almost dead body. For him, no doubt: it's Abby who did this work... He takes him away in order to bury him far away from the bar, and finds out that Marty isn't dead yet. He's forced to bury him alive, offering us the most nightmarish scene of the film.... The movie is a real visual and sound shock. The script is incredibly original and brings some freshness in usual cinema stuff dealing with unfaithful characters ready to kill each other in order to avoid all the difficulties linked to divorce. The ambiance and atmosphere is the ones of a real bad dream, a nightmare, and the fact that the story takes place in an early, gray place in Texas (don't miss the hilarious prologue), where everything weird can happen very normally, adds to it. And the soundtrack by Carter Burwell is extraordinary, this is what he did first and best for the Coen brothers. It captures everything of the movie and makes the nighmare become really true. Compared to it, James Cain novels look ugly, conventional and definitely old-fashioned. This movie is a must see for all the people who're tired of big foreseeable blockbusters and wish to be surprised when they go to the movies. For me this is the best film from the Coen brothers, a film able to wake up the dead. Magnificent.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent thriller
Review: This movie is a nearly flawless thriller. It's dark and sometimes bloody, but sprinkled with the quirky characters and odd, dark humour that fans of the Coen's have come to cherish. It is tight, taut, and tense - nearly perfect. Grab it if you love thrillers, noir, or the Coens. The audio commentary track is *hysterical*, though many may not appreciate the humor. Please don't mistake it for the real thing; the track is a joke.
Rating:
Summary: Coen's Debut film... Simply Wonderful
Review: Before I talk about the film, a word about the wonderfully funny DVD audio commentary by "Kenneth Loring" of "Forever Young Films". Brilliantly tongue in cheek, a posh sounding historian offers some of the most ridiculous comments yet to run along with a film. Now onto the wonderful film by the Coen Brothers... (Raising Arizona, Fargo, Miller's Crossing). BLOOD SIMPLE takes the thriller genre and twists it 180 degrees. The extremely tight screenplay introduces us to several wonderfully dysfunctional people, including Abby (Frances McDormand), Ray (John Getz) and Marty (Dan Hedaya). Rather then take their love triangle to afternoon talk shows, they resort to murder... Just to make the whole thing all the more interesting, a gumshoe (M. Emmet Walsh) is involved to screw things up even more. The cinematography is wonderfully shot by Barry Sonnenfeld, director of THE ADDAMS FAMILY, GET SHORTY and the upcoming BIG TROUBLE. And the musical score by Carter Burwell perfectly supports the scenes tension. The wonderful film is often reminiscent of their later film, FARGO. I am very glad to be able to see this film again with a wonderul audio and video transfer. But, if truth be known, the biggest surprise is the audio commentary. That alone is worth the price of admission...
Rating:
Summary: I'm a believer
Review: Hi, I have not seen nor purchased this DVD but after reading some of these reviews had to comment--the ORIGINAL theatrical release had the Four Tops "The Same Old Song" during the "cleanup" scene and the ending credits. The Four Tops song, not the Neil Diamond song (or Monkees or whoever) is the ORIGINAL. I don't know what happened, but I vividly remember the first time I saw the film in the theater (Same Old Song) and then when I saw it again (I'm a Believer) I was extremely shocked and disappointed at the replaced music--It doesn't even fit with the storyline, that the bartender guy would insist on playing a Neil Diamond song--the Same Old Song fits better with his character and with them movie. I have never enjoyed the movie as much after they changed the music and am very pleased that they decided to go with the original song for the Director's Cut.
Rating:
Summary: The Coens First
Review: From the opening credits, you knew you were in for something very different and unique, a rarity these days, what with formula movie scripts selling popcorn like crazy! No, this is not for the faint of heart, but if you have a strong stomach, and are willing to put up with some gory stuff, then you will find this one of the all-time best murder mystery thrillers. The first thing you notice is the names in the opening credits being wiped off the screen by the windshield wipers of the car we are in. Nothing is as it seems. Kinda keeps you guessing right up to the highly dramatic and very profoundly philosophical ending. This movie paved the way for Frances McDormand to blossom into the world-class Oscar-winning actress she has become. A must-see!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Best commentary ever
Review: By now you have read the other commentaries and should have figured out that this is a great film and you should watch it at your first opportunity. I have another point to make. For Gods' sake, listen to the commentary.
Rating:
Summary: Film Noir at its best
Review: I have seen a lot fo great films over the years, however Blood Simple remains at the top of my list. This was the Cohen Brother's first film and they couldn't have done a better job. The story itself is outstanding. A Texas bar owner named Marty (Dan Heyada) finds out that his wife Abby ( Frances McDormand) is cheating on him, with an employee of his named Ray (John Getz). Marty hires a seedy private investigator named Visser(M. Emmet Walsh) to follow and kill the two of them. But Visser has other plans, and decides to turn the tables on his employer. This is results in a series of double crosses that spin a tale of love, betrayal, and murder that will have you laughing as well as being shocked at the events that unfold. One of the best scenes of all time is, when a character who has been buried alive suddenly emerges from his own grave. That alone is worth the price of the movie. Not to mention the incredible ending!! The cinematography is wonderfully shot by Barry Sonnenfeld, and really sets the film apart from the rest. The film is set in Texas, and this provides the perfect atmopshere of mystery to the film. The score is outstanding and really adds tension to each scene. Overall, this is "film noir" at its best. The DVD is a must own in this case, not only because of the quality, but also because of the extras. The commentary from Kenneth Loring is excellent! This film is definately a must own, and I highly recommend it!
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