A Simple Plan

R

Released Sep 12, 1998

2 hr. 1 min.

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

TRAILER

for A Simple Plan: Trailer 1

List

90%

72 Reviews

Tomatometer

81%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Mar 05

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Apple TV

Rent A Simple Plan on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

Critics Consensus

A riveting crime thriller full of emotional tension.

Read Critics Reviews

Thinking of Film

This is a easy binge watch movie 🍿

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/13/24

Full Review

K W

Fun watch. It had me wondering what I would do. Still it wasn't gritty like todays crime dramas

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/08/24

Full Review

Elias R

Contrived. Not believable.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/30/24

Full Review

Maeve H

Fantastic stuff. Watch it!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/28/24

Full Review

Jerod S

A Simple Plan - to keep the money for a little while before they kept it forever, then split town and spend the cash. But, while they wait, things start getting complicated. 2 brothers (Paxton, Thorton) struggle to hold all the lies to keep those bags from a crashed plane with drug $.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/29/23

Full Review

A.L.Jude P

This is sure reminiscent of Fargo. Funny, yet dark characters depict real unpleasant and disturbing outcome to their life. Brilliant portraits by all the cast and the movie is definitely a 10 STAR.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/07/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Sam Raimi

Director

Bill Paxton

Hank Mitchell

Billy Bob Thornton

Jacob Mitchell

Brent Briscoe

Lou Chambers

Bridget Fonda

Sarah Mitchell

Jack Walsh

Tom Butler

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

95%

92%

Hundreds of Beavers

TRAILER

for Hundreds of Beavers

67%

29%

The Stranger

TRAILER

for The Stranger

50%

92%

The Stolen Valley

TRAILER

for The Stolen Valley

93%

95%

Dune: Part Two

TRAILER

for Dune: Part Two

71%

60%

Immaculate

TRAILER

for Immaculate

82%

75%

In the Land of Saints and Sinners

TRAILER

for In the Land of Saints and Sinners

69%

87%

Sweet Dreams

TRAILER

for Sweet Dreams

56%

84%

DogMan

TRAILER

for DogMan

%

41%

Jimmy Carr: Natural Born Killer

%

%

An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th

TRAILER

for An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Billy Bob Thornton Says His Goliath Character Picked Up the Actor’s Bad Habits in Season 2

Pete’s Dragon, The Handmaiden, Iron Fist and More on Netflix and Amazon Prime This Week

Bill Paxton: 1955-2017

A Simple Plan: Trailer 1

2:26

View more videos

View more photos

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

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

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

Rated: A

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

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

Full Review

Jack Hawkins

HeyUGuys

It's a bona fide thriller that will cause your teeth to grind, your toes to curl, and your brain to consider, "What would I do?"

Rated: 5/5

Jan 13, 2021

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a slow-moving yet mostly compelling drama that benefits substantially from its stellar performances...

Rated: 3/4

Nov 25, 2020

Full Review

Malcolm Johnson

Hartford Courant

Both heartbreaking and chilling, this film explores ancient themes in a contemporary, painfully familiar way.

Jun 8, 2018

Full Review

Read all reviews

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
Executive Producer: Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn, James Jacks
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
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Most Popular at Home Now