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10 of the Best Debut Films by New Directors

A Fresh Look At: Blood Simple (1984)

by Zack Miller on May 24, 2014
Overall Rating
9.0
THE BOTTOM LINE

“Blood Simple” is a supremely assured and assertive debut that proves that, with each film, the Coen brothers have simply been refining an extraordinary talent present from the beginning.

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In constructing a recent Top 10 list of modern directorial debuts, I found myself reflecting on what a first film can mean for the rest of a director’s oeuvre. There are numerous instances of currently active filmmakers, particularly those that could be considered auteurs, whose early work establishes them as unique and powerful cinematic voice – think “Bottle Rocket,” “Hard Eight,” “Badlands”… the list goes on. One prominent example that I hadn’t yet seen was the Joel and Ethan Coen’s “Blood Simple.”

Initially premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in 1984, “Blood Simple” was met with immediate critical praise, winning Best Director at the Independent Spirit Awards and the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. It went on to make over $4 million from a $1.5 million budget, which was scraped together by shooting a two-minute trailer over a weekend and shopping it around to businessmen in the directors’ hometown. Even early on, the brothers’ dark, stylistic tendencies were apparent, and the film never attracted the favor of a major production company. As a result, they quickly learned the value of rigorous planning and the benefits of unbridled creative control; these traits are still a hallmark of their work to this day.

The plot of “Blood Simple” follows a small cast of characters in small-town Texas. Dan Hedaya plays Julian Marty, a bar owner who believes his wife (Frances McDormand) is cheating on him. He hires M. Emmet Walsh’s private detective to investigate and, after confirming his suspicions, offers $10,000 to have her killed. In what has become typical Coen fashion, the crime goes awry in the most bleakly comic ways, twisting and turning until nobody involved has any idea of the true situation. The picture opens with a voiceover from Walsh, who pronounces what could well be the thesis of the Coens’ entire filmography: “I don’t care if you’re the Pope of Rome, the President of the United States, or Man of the Year; something can all go wrong.” This film confidently declares the start of a time-tested formula where the directors inject chaos into standard tropes to create blackly comic genre musings.

Throughout the movie, it’s easy to spot the genesis of many other familiar Coen patterns. Thematically, misanthropy and the futility of free will feature strongly, along with an imposing and seemingly unstoppable antagonistic force – the finale plays like a scene from a “Friday the 13th” movie and hints at what would later attract the pair to the Anton Chigurh character in “No Country for Old Men.” There are also several visual motifs that turn up time and time again: approaching headlights, a predilection for silhouetted figures, and lots of shots from low angles. Despite their inexperience at the time, the Coens operate with brazen matter-of-factness and flair characteristic of a much more veteran talent.

It’s not just a successful inauguration for the Coens, either, as several of their frequent collaborators also started out on “Blood Simple.” Following what was her first professional acting role, Frances McDormand struck up a long-term professional relationship with both brothers, not to mention a romantic one with the elder; any partnership that can claim Marge Gunderson as a byproduct is one to be celebrated. Newcomer Carter Burwell provides the musical accompaniment and channels an eeriness worthy of “Twin Peaks,” six years before Lynch was on the small screen. His soundtrack also boasts the utterly inspired choice of The Four Tops’ “It’s The Same Old Song” in a few pivotal scenes. Before turning to directing his own films, Barry Sonnenfeld was the cinematographer on several Coen films. Here he shows off in shadows, paying homage to the noir edge that the story riffs on with memorable images like beams of dusty air starkly illuminated by bullet holes, as if the projectiles that caused them were actually made of light. A shot of headlights shining across a tilled field is one of many highlights in the masterfully tense and wordless centerpiece of the film.

A good amount of credit for the success of “Blood Simple” is owed to the confluence of such gifted artists, but the inborn talents of its first-time directors cannot be overstated. The qualities fortified and honed through the circumstances of its production are the same qualities that place it as a criminally underwatched entry in their filmography, and allow that filmography to continually tempt perfection.

 
Continue Reading Issue #4

Language

English

Release

7 September 1984

Runtime

99 min

Genre

Crime, Neo-noir, Thriller

MPAA Rating

R

Director

Joel and Ethan Coen

Cast

Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh, Frances McDormand, John Getz

(All Features), Features, Issue #04, Retrospectives
auteurBlood SimpleCoen brothersDan Hedayadirectorial debutfrances mcdormandJoel and Ethan CoenJohn GetzM. Emmet Walshneo-noir
auteur, Blood Simple, Coen brothers, Dan Hedaya, directorial debut, frances mcdormand, Joel and Ethan Coen, John Getz, M. Emmet Walsh, neo-noir
About the Author
Zack Miller
Zack Miller
Zack is a software developer from Halifax, Nova Scotia moonlighting as a cinephile - until the weekend, when those roles reverse. He can often be found thoughtfully stroking his beard or thoughtfully stroking his cat. Despite remaining in the sitting position almost exclusively, he occasionally makes time to be bent into other shapes during jiu jitsu practice. You can aggresively shout your opinions and objections at him via Twitter or in person (anywhere beer is served).
You might also like
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10 of the Best Debut Films by New Directors

by Zack Miller on May 24, 2014
In the fickle world of pop culture, it’s easy to get caught up in reputation. As a director, your filmography begins to plant certain expectations in the minds of cinephiles everywhere – it’s the difference between seeing Thomas or W.S. between the names Paul and Anderson. A true joy as a film lover is finding […]
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