Friday, March 13, 2009

Blood Simple (1984) DVD / a Film by Ethan and Joel Cohen

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"Now, in Russia, they got it mapped out so that everyone pulls for everyone else . . . that's the theory, anyway. But what I know about is Texas, an' down here . . . you're on your own."

In a remote town in rural Texas, a young man named Ray tends bar at a saloon owned by his boss, Marty Julian. Going on behind Marty's back--though not quite so discretely--is an affair between Ray and Marty's wife, Abby. Suspecting the adulterous tryst, Marty hires a private investigator to validate the fact and the truth ultimately comes to light. Intent upon retribution, Marty mulls his options only to have his plans interrupted by the same man he hired to investigate the affair, a man with an inherently violent and far more deliberate agenda.

Simple. Subtle. Visceral. The Coen brothers' directorial debut wasted no time in establishing their trademark imprint on the industry. While there's seemingly little out of the realm of the ordinary and almost no cinematic highlights, Blood Simple manages to visually tell a story in a way that's far more enticing than most action-packed blockbusters. Psychology and character-dimension aren't so much a part of things and motives are sometimes hard to discern, and yet the plot sequence is so diabolically imaginative, one can't help but be enamored by the effecting culmination of events. Locally filmed in and around Houston, the cinematography's another reason this movie works so well, widescreen footage of the flat, featureless landscape well-reflecting the eerie, desolate mood of the story.

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