A Simple Plan
by Sam Raimi
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Brent Briscoe, Bridget Fonda, Jack WalshDirector: Sam Raimi
Brand: Paramount
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 121 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-06-22
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Paramount
Movie Reviews of A Simple Plan
Movie Review: A Portrait of Greed and Human Frailty
Summary: 4 Stars
Set against the desolation of an upper-Midwest winter, "a simple plan" brings to mind another snow blanketed tale of greed-fueled tragedy, namely "Fargo". In the Coen brother's cynical depiction of human nature at its worst, the ever-present North Dakota snow became a metaphor for the emotional and ethical bankruptcy of the small town losers who's petty problems led to cold-blooded murder.
Sam Rami approaches a similar theme from a somewhat different angle, preferring to frame his protagonists in a kinder light. Rather than mocking them for the smallness of their lives he invites us to see them as average human beings at the mercy of circumstances beyond their control. In his film the snow is more like the clean conscience the characters enjoy before greed and paranoia weave their way through it, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.
The story is self-explanatory. Hank Mitchell(Paxton), his dim-witted brother Jacob (Thornton) and Jacob's redneck friend Lou (Briscoe) get in over their heads when they stumble across 4 million dollars in a downed plane. Good intentions give way to greedy plotting, and the story moves swiftly and predictably to its violent conclusion.
What elevates this film above a run of the mill drama is the complexity of the leading characters and the cast's ability to add the necessary depth to their performances. Hank and his expectant wife Sarah (Fonda) have accepted their small town lives and consider themselves content. Jacob and Lou, both unemployed, live on the brink of poverty but seem happy enough drinking beer together and telling dirty jokes. The discovery of the money shakes them out of the limbo of ordinary life, and the prospect of escaping what they suddenly consider a miserable existence quickly consumes them.
In short order Sarah's priorities shift from child-rearing to surreptitious plotting, forcing mild mannered Hank, acting as the agent of his wife's machinations, to find in himself the dark heart of a killer. Jacob, who is actually more clever than he seems, foolishly believes that wealth will finally end his loneliness and skillfully draws his brother Hank into his plans to buy back the family farm. Lou, who sees an easy way to shed his loser image, is fully aware that as the only non-Mitchell family member he is the most vulnerable to betrayal. In order to improve his odds he proceeds to erode the bond between Jacob and Hank.
Alliances are formed, promises are made, and bitter animosities and painful secrets are laid bare. The bonds of trust unravel, and everyone involved finds themselves committing acts they never thought they were capable of. Ultimately the film is a skillful examination of the weak underpinnings that support civility, family and friendships. These four relatively normal people, Rami shows, are easily broken by ill begotten wealth. What Lou joyfully calls "The American Dream in a Gym Bag" turns out to be a nightmare beyond their ability to control. If it can happen to them, the film seems to warn, it can happen to anyone.
Rami's serious approach to the material allows us to overlook the occasional narrative stretch, like the fact that the police more or less overlook the mounting body-count, or that no-one discovers the secret of the money before it's too late to undo the damage (a simple phone call probably would have done the trick). These are minor flaws in a well crafted film where the tension, as well as the stakes, escalate with each passing moment. Definitely worth a viewing or two.
Summary of A Simple Plan
Three men are embroiled in mistrust murder and intrigue when they find four million dollars in a crashed plane. Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 01/17/2006 Starring: Billy Bob Thornton Bridget Fonda Run time: 121 minutes Rating: RAn endless white landscape of rolling hills and snow-blanketed forests. A lonely acoustic score (by Danny Elfman) playing in the background. A vision of rural simplicity portrayed in hushed tones. The stillness is about to shatter. Brothers Hank (Bill Paxton), an accountant at a small-town feed store, and Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton), an unemployed, hygienically challenged dim bulb, accompanied by Jacob's oafish pal Lou (Brent Briscoe), stumble across a downed plane in the brush containing a corpse and a sack containing millions of dollars--surely the aftermath of a drug deal, they conclude. Greed overcomes good sense, and the three agree to hide the money for a year and keep the secret to themselves. A simple plan indeed, and it doesn't take long for it to go all to hell as the lure of wealth tears at kinship and friendship, and the ruthless machinations of impetuous partners leave a body count in its wake. Bridget Fonda costars as Hank's wife, whose initial hesitation gives way to cold-blooded plotting. Sam Raimi, best known for wowing audiences with stylistic gymnastics and manic mayhem, directs this quietly desperate thriller with chilly restraint, finding its cold, tragic heart in the estranged relationship between Hank and Jacob: the college boy blind to the truth of his own family and the town loser whose tortured soul reveals a humanity lost on his brother (a brilliant performance by Thornton). Adapted by Scott?B. Smith from his acclaimed novel. --Sean Axmaker
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