Directed by:
Sam RaimiScreenplay:
Scott B. SmithCinematography:
Alar KiviloComposer:
Danny ElfmanCast:
Bill Paxton, Bridget Fonda, Billy Bob Thornton, Brent Briscoe, Gary Cole, Chelcie Ross, Becky Ann Baker, Frank Beard, Jack Walsh, Peter Syvertsen, Tom Carey (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
The Mitchell brothers stumble across a downed airplane that contains millions of dollars. They plot to keep the money- but greed causes distrust amongst them. (official distributor synopsis)
Reviews (8)
The brilliant Sam Raimi before he embarked on his high-budget Hollywood career with Spiderman. Minimum space, a chilling atmosphere, an excellent screenplay, and a logical resolution of complex machinations around 4 million dollars that three small-town residents happen to find by chance. It’s slightly reminiscent of Fargo with its effortless and subliminal cynicism, accompanied by violence – just less extreme – while the ending is unexpected. The ensemble cast is a pleasure to watch.
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A tale of one smart and two dumber small-towners who can't resist the temptation to get rich quick in a beautiful winter landscape straight out of Fargo – But that's the end of any connection to the famous brand. Instead of cynical humour, there’s a real-life story about unfulfilled dreams, old wrongs and faith in a better tomorrow, accompanied by trite wisdoms of the type “less is sometimes more”, but they are delivered with such casualness and taste that they can be forgiven. The initially flat characters develop into full-fledged individuals whose fate will matter a lot in the finale. And Billy Bob Thornton is superb.
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A gripping little thriller with brilliantly written characters (Bridget Fonda) and great performances (Billy Bob Thornton). Besides the high tension, the film offers a very important life lesson: never conspire with mentally handicapped people because they can ruin even the simplest plans. The ending is excellent. Raimi at his best.
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I thought of many things - from the Coens' Fargo (and others) to Boyle's Shallow Grave... All the movies I can think of were better than A Simple Plan, though. If it weren't for Billy Bob Thornton, who handled a character that I could only imagine Steve Buscemi playing, I would take one more star away. The problem was that everything that happened in the film seemed so naive, unbelievable and poorly presented. From the crashed plane that nobody tries to find (but is cheerfully reported in the newspapers), to the individual murders and the fact that the cops didn't give a damn. However, Sam Raimi did his job, and the scenes in the snowy forest, watched by flocks of crows, had something to them... However, as with his The Gift, the script (almost) ruined everything. Two and a half.
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A tense and well-directed psychological game where you can never be sure what will happen in the next scene, let alone in the ending, which, by the way, is probably the best it could be. Given their diverse nature, it’s clear that the characters are going to have a hard time from the moment the money is found and the first disagreements about where to hide it begin. But what happens next is a joy to watch, both from a filmmaking point of view and from a purely realistic one – I had to ask myself several times, what would I do? Taking into account the excellent and heartfelt performances of Paxton and Thornton, I have to rank this film among the absolute top.
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