|
Alphabetic Index
|
Ratings Index
|
Web Resources
|
Alphabetic Index
|
Ratings Index
|
Web Resources
The burning question of how Marty knew where to phone is slickly answered by greaseball detective Visser (M. Emmet Walsh). Set as a tail by the suspicious Marty, photographic evidence merely forces the point of Abby's marital infidelity home. Despite Visser's crude goading, Marty absorbs his anger and casually hangs around his bar, annoying Maurice (Samm-Art Williams). His patience is rewarded when Ray returns to gather some back pay, totally missing the point as Marty seethes and stares moodily into his backyard incinerator. Well, one thing leads to another. Finally Abby and Ray decide to shack up at his place for a while, further twisting the knife of deceit within cuckolded Marty.
The pressure eventually becomes too great and Marty tracks down Visser, despising his sleazy ways but forced to use his not quite legal talents. He wants the pair of them disposed of and he's prepared to pay good money, which is all that matters to the unscrupulous Visser. Just as long as Marty doesn't go "simple" on him, that's all. What Marty doesn't realise is that Visser is totally lacking in all morals, determined to protect his own bloated hide at all costs. This makes him dangerous to Marty, but at least he thinks he knows what he's dealing with. Abby and Ray don't even have that luxury, believing that Marty is their only problem. However, events don't always unfold in the way you expect.
A minimal budget of $1.5 million has ensured that Blood Simple is superbly streamlined, stripped to its essential characters. On the other hand, its stunning, evocative visuals belong in a film costing twice as much. Obviously the Coen brothers' know where their priorities lie; they're in the business of creating a compelling, slightly warped, vision which both uses and occasionally subverts the staples which prop up any particular genre. To this end, Blood Simple's script is extremely tight with plenty of room for long silences, when warranted. The pace is beautifully controlled, glacial at first but invisibly picking up momentum until, suddenly, the film tightens its grip and squeezes.
Technically Blood Simple displays tremendous poise, combining dynamic camera movement with great use of position and framing. The cinematography behind these shots is astounding, playing with light, shadow and ceiling fans to set the mood. With excellent editing between scenes, the mechanics of Blood Simple are first-rate. However, weakness creeps in with the major roles; they are all characters, but they don't have character. Abby is by far the most human of them all yet even she has an emptiness inside. This is no reflection on the level of acting though, which is uniformly high and really top-notch for McDormand and Walsh. In fact, in some ways, this lack of character depth works in Blood Simple's favour by letting the twists of the tale take precedence.
|
Alphabetic Index
|
Ratings Index
|
Web Resources