NateWatchesCoolMovies Crime doesn't pay, and money is the root of all evil. There are countless stories of people who forsake such principles and venture down a dark, destructive path, but none quite so biting and tragic as Sam Raimi's A Simple Plan. What haunts the viewer so much is not the fact that these characters suffer through horrific turmoil resulting from the promise of money, it's that these are nice, good natured, everyday folks. These are the people next door, the blue collar, salt of the earth Americans, and it's harrowing to see the downward spiral they fall headlong into. Bill Paxton is the mild mannered hardware store owner, Billy Bob Thornton his unemployed, dimwitted brother and Bridget Fonda his wife. Three regular people who could be any of us, until they find the money. Out in a snowy rural landscape, millions of dollars in cash is discovered by them, and that's where the trouble begins. The three go to great lengths to keep their secret hidden from the local authorities, and eventually become paranoid, deceitful and hostile towards each other, leading to some truly heartbreaking outcomes. It's not enjoyable watching these poor people go through this, because this isn't some exploititive crime genre exercise. Although shades of noir are present, this film is set in the real world where human beings are neither good nor bad as a template, but have complex capacity for great evil or compassion. When something like the money gets in the way, though, that potential for malicious behaviour is dialed up considerably, and the resulting calamity looks something like what we see here. What's scary about the whole thing is that it's essentially their own fault; yes, the money turned up, and yes, its presence is what drives this wedge among them, but the money isn't sentient, it doesn't wish ill will, it's simply *there*, leaving the characters to make decisions regarding it, decisions which in this case lead to their despairing downfall. What's more, money is our own creation, not some outside influence eating away at them. This is surprising output for Raimi, who is the guy we know for rambunctious horror and genre pulp, but he shows a skilled and subtle hand with the down to earth material, letting his story be a window into a cold world of feverish greed, a world where plans are, in fact, anything but simple.

D' Francis If you and your friends found an airplane $4 million dollars, would you report it to the police or keep it for yourself? Would you all split it equally or work against each other. Apparently, while most people would say they'd do the right thing, the writers of this movie make the case cogently with main character's Lady Macbeth of a wife. That we're not angels when presented with the opportunity.One mistake leads to another and the characters find themselves in increasingly more dangerous events. It's a psychological thriller which will have you guessing the mystery at every turn. The resolution was satisfying as it had numerous twists which I wasn't expecting but ones which still feel consistent with the tone of the movie. A Simple Plan was an experience which completely sucked me in from start to finish.

avik-basu1889 'A Simple Plan' directed by Sam Raimi is a crime drama film. It follows Hank, a seemingly innocent family man, his wife Sarah, his slightly dim brother Jacob and Jacob's friend Lou. One day Hank, Jacob and Lou accidentally chance upon a crashed plane with a dead pilot and a bag containing over 4 million dollars in it. This discovery sends all of them on a path of lies, deceit and crime.If I wouldn't have known that Sam Raimi is the director before watching this, I would have placed my money on the Coen Brothers being the filmmakers, as this film has an overtly Coen-esque feel to it. I was not surprised to find that Sam Raimi is actually close friends with the Coens and he had conversations with them prior to the shooting of this film. The snowy locations where the film is shot, the nature of the storyline, the pattern in which the plot proceeds and the undeniable black comedy existing in the script reminded me of 'Fargo', 'Blood Simple' and 'No Country for Old Men' on multiple occasions. I guess the nature of story in the original novel by Scott Smith (who is also the screenwriter for the film) lends itself in my mind more to a Coen Brothers screen adaptation than a Raimi adaptation considering their respective styles. But Raimi's direction though being to some extent a pastiche of the Coen Brothers' style, is impressive. He actually effectively uses symbolism in the film by using animals and birds like a fox, black crows, etc. and the film looks great too. Raimi also keeps the film flowing with the requisite pace to maintain the tension on screen.For me the best thing about the film are the characters. Thanks to Scott's script and Raimi's direction, we get very well rounded and layered characters. Along with greed and the consequences of succumbing to greed, the other primary theme of the film is to show that looks and reputations can be deceptive. The person that looks the most likable and innocent, under trying circumstances can turn out to be capable of committing extremely devious deeds. This film shows you that people who have the reputation of being upstanding citizens can be more conniving than people who have 'serial killer' written on their foreheads. So in a way, it is about transformations of characters, and I like that process of transformation of a character in a film where the person gradually changes for the better or for the worse when executed properly. This film can also be interpreted as an updated and loose adaptation of Macbeth due to the nature of Sarah's character who remains extremely interesting and brilliantly shaded.The acting is brilliant because the performances from everyone involved look very real without any exaggeration or over the top elements. At the basic level, these are ordinary characters(who get caught in extraordinary circumstances), so the understated performances felt very plausible. Special mention has to be given to Billy Bob Thornton. This is another performance of his that underlines his versatility and it reestablishes how great a character actor he is. His character of Jacob is supposed to be slightly dim witted, but instead of hamming it up to 11, he keeps the weirdness of his character to a believable level and forces us to show empathy for Jacob.But having said all that, I still think that 'A Simple Plan' doesn't quite achieve that status of greatness which 'Fargo' and 'No Country for Old Men' managed to achieve in my eyes, but it is mainly due to some minor problems that I have with the script. So I guess it has more to do with the original story and adapted screenplay by Smith than Raimi's direction. I think the treatment of Jacob's character is slightly inconsistent at times and also certain things which take place leading up to the ending seemed a bit implausible. But the ending itself was perfect and heartbreaking. So 'A Simple Plan' is a very good film with a tight plot, deep characters and good direction, but it is not a masterpiece in my eyes due to some plot issues.

SnoopyStyle Hank (Bill Paxton) is a hard worker with loving pregnant wife Sarah (Bridget Fonda) in a small Minnesota town. Hank goes on a drive with his brother Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton) and Jacob's friend Lou (Brent Briscoe). After crashing their car, they go off into the woods and find a crashed small plane. In it, they find a bag full of money. Hank wants to go to the police but he is convinced by the other two to keep the money. Hank comes up with a simple plan. He hides the money until the plane is discovered. If nobody comes looking for it, they will split up the $4.4 million among the three of them.Like the title suggests, this is a relatively simple movie. Of course, Hank's plan is never going to work especially with those two idiot loudmouth friends. Anyways, Hank breaks his promise not to tell his wife almost immediately. The tension builds and builds as these bumbling idiots get into a worst and worst situation. The snowy landscape gives the movie its desolate doomed atmosphere. Billy Bob does a great idiot but Bill Paxton's needy morality is the kicker. He starts out as a reasonable everyday man with morals. Director Sam Raimi fills every scene with a threatening tension.