A Simple Plan

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2:26

A Simple Plan

R

Released Sep 12, 1998

2h 1m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

76 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

While in the woods near their small town, upstanding local Hank Mitchell (Bill Paxton), his dim brother Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton) and their friend Lou (Brent Briscoe) discover a crashed plane with two things in it -- a dead pilot, and a stash of more than four million dollars. Although Hank is reluctant to keep the money, Jacob and Lou convince him otherwise, and they devise a plan to split the fortune. Things quickly go wrong, however, dramatically affecting the trio and those around them.

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Critics Consensus

A riveting crime thriller full of emotional tension.

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Sight & Sound

[Raimi] austerely rejects hyped-up camera tricks and jokey shock effects and creates living, complex characters whose fates we care about. The result is easily his finest film to date.

Jun 18, 2012

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

A Simple Plan is lean, elegant, and emotionally complex - a marvel of backwoods classicism.

Rated: A

Sep 7, 2011

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Glenn Lovell

Variety

Perfect capers gone horribly, inexorably awry have always kept audiences squirming. But just when we think we've seen it all, Raimi offers a few new wrinkles.

Jul 22, 2008

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Sam Raimi at what is certainly his most understated and arguably his most overwhelming. It's a rabbit hole of ruination in rural America that complements "Se7en" as a reflection of the rot roiling beneath our surfaces and has lost none of its sting.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jan 16, 2025

Full Review

Emilie Black

Cinema Crazed

This is a strong neo-noir film with thriller elements and a whole lot going on for the it. The cinematography, the writing, the direction, the acting, the music, there is so much here that the film comes together perfectly.

Dec 28, 2024

Full Review

Jeff Beck

The Blu Spot

A Simple Plan takes the simple premise of three ordinary men finding a bag of money and turns it into a rather entertaining, compelling crime thriller that'll have you wondering what wild, over-the-top development could possibly happen next.

Rated: 3.5/5

Nov 18, 2024

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Jonathan O

A cold blooded human drama thriller film. Is like Fargo meets Blood Simple in a Sam Raimi's vision and he did really outstanding directing and giving a horror a break and direct something different for the audience and he pull it off. And really great strong performances by Billy Bob Thornton and Bill Paxton (RIP) and is a Christmas and New Years film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/27/24

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Leaburn O

Really good drama thriller showing one lie digging ever deeper holes. Really good 90s stuff. Watched on BBC iPlayer.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/08/24

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Isa B

Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton deliver awesome performances in this picture. A Simple Plan is a well written story that became an excellent motion picture. I definitely recommend. 92/100

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/31/24

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mark g

As close to perfect as a film can get. Starts off as a simple plan, but things just spiral down from there, deeper and deeper. And what great casting!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/10/24

Full Review

Andrew R

There's really nothing wrong with this movie except Bill Paxton's performance.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/19/24

Full Review

Blu B

All Time Classic. You would never think watching this that Sam Raimi directed this. There is only very subtle queues here and there it's him. It's a shame he didn't do more things like this. This is masterfully edited, phenominally acted, and gorgously shot with really camerawork. The setting is very memorable. The premise is super simple but grows into an incredibly complex Coen Brothers Heist Thriller Noir hybrid. Billy Bob Thorton is amazing in this and is the best thing in it and that's saying a lot. The music is really good also. It's paced very well but it does feel like 2 hours as it moves at a very slow burn pace. However there is always something keeping your interest and it's never boring or too complex to follow. It's a tale about what money and greed can do to normal people. This does require a bit of patience as thrills are sparse in this but the drama, characters, and story more than make up for it. Everyone should give this a try once.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/27/24

Full Review

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Sam Raimi

Director

Bill Paxton

Hank Mitchell

Billy Bob Thornton

Jacob Mitchell

Brent Briscoe

Lou Chambers

Bridget Fonda

Sarah Mitchell

Jack Walsh

Tom Butler

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A Simple Plan: Trailer 1

2:26

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Synopsis

While in the woods near their small town, upstanding local Hank Mitchell (Bill Paxton), his dim brother Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton) and their friend Lou (Brent Briscoe) discover a crashed plane with two things in it -- a dead pilot, and a stash of more than four million dollars. Although Hank is reluctant to keep the money, Jacob and Lou convince him otherwise, and they devise a plan to split the fortune. Things quickly go wrong, however, dramatically affecting the trio and those around them.

Director: Sam Raimi
Producer: Adam Schroeder
Screenwriter: Scott B. Smith
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Mutual Film Company, Paramount Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 12, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $16.3M
Runtime: 2h 1m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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