One could argue that Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1984
Blood Simple qualifies as the most arresting American cinematic debut of its decade. Hip, stylish, tense, and inventive, the sublime low-budget thriller weaves a tale of Texan marital infidelity that spreads into a labyrinthine web of homicide, incomprehension, and grisly double crosses. As first-timers, the Coens both understood the pull of James M. Cain-style noir and felt confident enough to slightly rework its conventions, with an unusual narrative framework that gives the audience a bird’s-eye view of the action, and subtle touches used to draw wickedly funny undercurrents out of the material. Of all the dir...
Released:
2009
Rated:
R
Length:
90 mins