Blood Simple Review: Neo-Noir Masterpiece

Blood Simple is one of the greatest debuts in cinema history, showing us a glimpse of the seedy underbelly of small-town Texas.

In Blood Simple, Abby (Frances McDormand, of Fargo) leaves her husband, Marty (Dan Hedaya, of Clueless), the owner of a bar, for one of his bartenders, Ray (John Getz, of The Fly). Marty has them followed by a private investigator, Loren (M. Emmet Walsh, of Blade Runner), but after finding out the news and not wanting to see the two of them happy, Marty pays for Loren to murder Abby and Ray for $10,000, but nothing is as simple as it seems.

This is also cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld’s debut feature, and for a film that looks this good, that is an incredible feat. The use of lighting is outstanding; the balance of shadows and the neon lights is a masterpiece in cinematography. That’s not to mention the inventive camera techniques, tracking shots, angles; there isn’t a single shot in this film that doesn’t look utterly exquisite, as if it were made by a cinematographer who had been working for decades.

What a shame it is, then, that he only ever shot nine films before jumping into the director’s chair to create such hits as Men in Black and The Addams Family. There is no other movie shot in the 1980s that looks as good as Blood Simple does. A real highlight toward the end is when a character shoots holes through a wall, and as each shot comes through, the light pierces a bright line through the air on the other side, making each gunshot even more impactful.

Hedaya plays the slimiest evil man you’ll ever see, and he injects the performance with such cowardice that it makes you despise him even more. Everything from his wet, slick hair to his rude mannerisms makes you hate him for every minute he’s on screen. You feel the same way for Walsh’s silly yet sinister chain-smoking private investigator. Star of over 150 feature films, Walsh is one of those true character actors who pop up in so many films in minor roles and steal the movie. Without a doubt, Blood Simple is his career-defining role.

Blood Simple provides us with McDormand’s debut performance. Although she doesn’t get as much of a meaty character as all of the flawed men do, she brings a level of confidence to the role that makes you understand why she becomes one of the greatest actors of her generation. Getz was also tremendous with the toughest character of them all, a normal man who is pushed to do things he would never usually do for the woman he loves. His character has the most significant change of all, almost looking more physically gaunt by the end of the movie. 

The script is razor sharp, as we have now come to expect from the Coens. The line between serious noir and hilarious black comedy is crossed repeatedly throughout the feature. There are moments of pure hilarity, such as a visceral kick to the groin that makes a character immediately keel over and vomit; this will be followed a couple of scenes later by a brutal murder. It’s a tense and compelling story that, even if it were a regular script, would be amazing, but the fact that it’s their first makes it even more special.

The Coens showed us exactly who they are and created what is the quintessential Neo-noir, with a gripping, tense thriller and climactic ending. Unquestionably, it can be classed as one of the most engaging crime films of all time.

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Blood Simple is now available to watch on digital platforms.

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