Blood Simple

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Blood Simple

R

Released Jul 7, 1984

1h 37m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

111 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

"Blood Simple" was the first feature film from Joel and Ethan Coen. This is the newly restored and re-edited director's cut of the film, introduced by Mortimer Young. The stylish crime thriller premiered at film festivals in 1984. "Blood Simple" begins deep in the heart of Texas, where a jealous saloon owner hires a cheap divorce detective to kill the saloon owner's younger wife and her bartender lover. But the detective gets a better idea: he follows the two lovers, and...

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Critics Consensus

Brutally violent and shockingly funny in equal measure, Blood Simple offers early evidence of the Coen brothers' twisted sensibilities and filmmaking ingenuity.

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Jay Scott

Globe and Mail

Blood Simple is entirely self-concious, and good for it.

Dec 6, 2022

Full Review

Adam Nayman

The Ringer

What holds up best about Blood Simple, besides its vice-tight plotting and the rotten charisma of M. Emmet Walsh's evil, manipulative private eye Visser, is the sheer exuberance of the Coens's visual style.

Apr 15, 2019

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Simran Hans

Observer (UK)

Blood Simple is a reminder that the Coens are formalist film-makers first, with keen noses for composition and taut, structured storytelling, as well as masters of black comedy.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 8, 2017

Full Review

Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

It’s easy to presume Joel and Ethan Coen had to grow into their exceptional attunement to the invisible forces of the universe that either jolt us awake or lull us into deceptively comforting slumber. Nope. They've been in command of that from the jump.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 27, 2025

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Chance Solem-Pfeifer

Willamette Week

It’s shockingly accomplished in terms of tone and technique (for being a first feature) and haunted by one of Carter Burwell’s best piano scores.

Jan 22, 2025

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Bodies are shot, stabbed, dragged, and buried, blood is spilled and wiped up, evidence planted, swiped, and swapped, and nobody really knows what the story is. Except the audience, and we’re generally a beat behind.

Apr 6, 2024

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Audience Member

This movie was absolutely crazy. Marty still being alive after bleeding out for so long blew my mind. I’m not gonna say much, but I do think we need more cinema like this. This was great, and had a surprisingly nice soundtrack for such a lot budget feature. 4/5 stars.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/09/25

Full Review

Will G

It was cool to see the Coen Brothers earliest film. I thought it was kind of cheesy. It was nice that they showed Texas. There was a lot of violence in this movie. A few twists.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/25

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Audience Member

Not my type of movie but still good

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/25

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Audience Member

I didn’t enjoy it; slow and unengaging I’ve hardly liked anything by the Cohen Brothers The only one I’ve actually liked is O Brother Where Art Thou?

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/19/25

Full Review

Audience Member

I liked this movie just as much as Fargo! I didn't know that the Coen brothers made movies in the mid/early 1980s. This film's runtime isn't that long but so much happens within a span of a few minutes. It was quite suspenseful and dramatic with its scenes and what happened between and to each character involved in the plot's murder scandal. I wanted to watch this movie after Roger Avery and Quentin Tarantino went in Joe Rogan and after the way they spoke about it, I knew it was very likely something special! Why can't they make simple and genuine movies like these ones anymore? I would recommend it!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/05/25

Full Review

bob c

Excellent first movie by Coens. Low budget shows.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/28/24

Full Review

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Synopsis

"Blood Simple" was the first feature film from Joel and Ethan Coen. This is the newly restored and re-edited director's cut of the film, introduced by Mortimer Young. The stylish crime thriller premiered at film festivals in 1984. "Blood Simple" begins deep in the heart of Texas, where a jealous saloon owner hires a cheap divorce detective to kill the saloon owner's younger wife and her bartender lover. But the detective gets a better idea: he follows the two lovers, and...

Director: Joel Coen
Producer: Ethan Coen
Screenwriter: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Distributor: USA Films
Production Co: River Road
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 7, 1984, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jul 1, 2016
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.7M
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Stereo

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