Sunday, August 11, 2013

Blood Simple - Movie Review

This one thanks to Sagar who has reappeared in my life with more movies to share. It's a 1984 neo-noir film, whatever that is.

Film opens with a married woman Abby going off with her bar owner husband's employee. Not surprisingly, the employee, who has offered his shoulder to the wife, ends up offering much more. However they are trailed by a private detective unknown to them and even before they wake up from their night of passion, the husband calls in with details.

Anyway, Ray, the employee is not one to get cowed down by the husband and he turns up at work and offers to resign, and also asks for his balance payment. Marty, husband and boss, refuses. After Ray leaves, he tells the private detective to kill the new couple, and offers a large sum. Private Dick tells boss man to quit town for a few days - job will be done.

Private Dick steals the woman's revolver and makes a fake picture of the seemingly dead couple. He gets the money based on the picture and then he kills the boss (why?). Also, chances of the boss knowing the two are alive are high because they all seem to be walking in and out of his bar. Anyway detective forgets his lighter and one fake picture and leaves a bleeding bar owner with one bullet inside him. (Why assume he is dead?)

In walks Ray for his money and sees a bleeding boss. For some reason he assumes his new love has killed her husband for his love and decides to be a bigger hero. He takes boss's body someplace, finds that he is still alive, and buries him dead. When he tells the wife, she clears the misunderstanding - she did not kill her husband. Ray, the foolish lover, seems to have got a murder on his hands, for nothing.

Meanwhile the private detective is hunting down the couple to get his lighter back. He shoots Ray down sniper style and is all set to kill the girl too. But she turns out a bit too smart and kills him. Movie ends with a smart line from the dying detective's lips.

Too many questions unanswered for me? If detective was such a trigger happy person he could have killed the couple and pocketed the money legitimately couldn't he? If he wanted to rob Marty he could have done that too. Ray's first reactions to a bleeding Marty are rather odd as well, as he tries to clean up the mess for a woman no one is sure he loves. Why the detective wants to kill these two when they sure as hell don't know who he is - is another dumb angle.

There is a sense of danger, bodies, blood, illicit relationships - but the plot is not so simple as it looks. It's an enjoyable watch because there is something in the way the story is told that is interesting. I don't know what though. And you must stop asking dumb questions if you wish to enjoy the movie too.

Interesting aside, film heroine Frances McDormand married one of the film directors, the Coen Brothers, Joel Coen. She looked very familiar and then I realised that she appeared in Fargo and Streetcar Named Desire.

No comments: