Somewhere in Texas. Abby is the wife of the bar owner Marty, a man rude, unpleasant and not very adequate. She had an affair with bartender Ray. After learning of the incident, Marty first tries to take his wife home by force, but, failing, turns to private detective Lauren and asks to kill both. But Lauren has his own plans for this couple, and for Marty, and especially for his money. . .
It seems like a classic noir company. Here's a detective, here's a girl, her lover and a nasty husband. But the plot scheme, in which the detective helps everyone, solves crimes and so on, does not work here. I don't think there's any good guys here. The detective is a cynical and greedy bastard, ready to work as a killer, and his employer to pin down. Ray is a guy seemingly courageous and strong, but at times he slips into cowardice and stupidity. Unless Marty remains a canonical, nasty man with money. But there is a good girl in the film - Abby will not pull on the fatal lady, she is rather a lady in trouble who has already ceased to understand who and from whom will save her. She's afraid of her husband, afraid of her lover. Ray, forced to commit a crime, seems afraid of himself. And Lauren is afraid for himself - his involvement in this story may come to him sideways. Heroes hide from each other, see surreal nightmares in their dreams and in reality, sometimes take up arms. Sometimes you don’t understand what is vision and what is reality. The whole movie is psychedelic and like a nightmare. Unfortunately, psychedelics are still more than psychology. But the thick atmosphere of fear and uncertainty atones for this sin. So is great acting. Frances McDormand brilliantly portrayed a frightened heroine lost in her own fears. M. Emmett Walsh became perhaps the most vile private detective in the history of the genre. Dan Hedaya is cool as an unscrupulous petty rich man. John Getz... At first it seemed that he had nothing to play, but when it came to feelings, he coped perfectly.
The cameraman and future director of Men in Black Barry Sonnenfeld did well. He has everything in the frame: a plowed field, a bunch of caught fish, a lighter, a photo, a chandelier ... There is something memorable in every frame. This is just his debut! So are the directors. Both Sonnenfeld and the Coen brothers launched their bright careers with this film. It's worth seeing for that. But even without that historical load, Blood Just remains a good, sturdy film with a twisted plot. Yes, it is shot in several sets, extras almost no, but the quality of shooting and the plot is grandiose and without all this. Even if you, like the heroes, get entangled in the story, it's okay - it will still be interesting.
8 out of 10
If I started watching Cohens with Blood Simple, the first impression would be ruined.
This movie looks like Lynch's work. Even some caste Lynchevsky, color correction, costumes. But what is not Lynchevsky is specific. Here every detail is in place and everything is interconnected - no meditation, no "think it yourself." The specifics are purely Cohenian, as are the characters. So one is a private investigator. The rest of the characters are ordinary and generally get out of the tendency of the brothers to write scripts about pretentious and extraordinary characters. But even if the characters are not very good, the outcome is impressive (like everything that leads to it in the last 30 minutes of the film).
The film has a monstrous main musical theme. I count on the fact that it is difficult to praise the music of directors more or less in any of their films (even those about music - in "Lewyn Davis", for example, the soundtrack sounds only when Llewyn sings), but everything is exceptionally bad. At least because this film has a title theme that will meet many times. It sounds like a soundtrack from advertising Chinese apps about puzzles with the rescue of princesses or uncontrollably pregnant women.
Blood Simple looks 40 years older than its age. I wouldn’t call this movie beautiful (not because of old times, by the way), but I vouch for a few exceptionally beautiful scenes. The old-fashioned beauty you expect from the Coen. The original scene with bullet holes in the wall, the scary scene in the field, a couple of deceptive events and probably one or two actions that I forgot. All of the above is filmed as a textbook and looks so that it is even surprising that it is not in the BB. Because it's old school and cute.
In general, the name justifies itself. I love the Cohens, but it's their easiest job. It's a compact ending, but I wouldn't watch this movie.
The theme still plays in my head. I think because of this, the review should be classified as “negative”.
The first film of the Coen brothers, which marked the beginning of great creativity and revealed the potential of famous directors. Another thing the picture gave personally to Joel Cohen — wife Frances McDormand, which was here in the lead role almost by accident.
Sluggish introduction, long dialogue and the complete absence of any intrigue - so the film begins. But it is worth waiting a little, as the story unfolds to fantastic turns. It is from the turning point that the directors declare themselves as the creators of the new style: non-banal, intelligent and professional cinema.
Inside the picture, you can see future directors’ “chips” – deep personal relationships, internal conflicts, naive stupidity of the characters, leading to tragedies, and, of course, unexpectedly funny and sharp turns of events.
The script of the film takes place inside a love triangle. At the rich owner Marty (Den Hedaya), his employee Ray (John Getz) takes his wife away. Men beat for the heart of the lady, in different ways: one is hot and determined, the second is full of doubts and obsessive thoughts, which will trigger a series of unpredictable events.
The basis of history is taken jealousy and decisions that the parties are able to make. For example, the deceived husband Marty, having exposed his wife Abby in treason (Frances McDormand), hires a private detective to kill enemies and get rid of the bodies. But the detective does not really want to get his hands dirty, which is why the chain of Cohen history is launched. Very similar technique brothers use later in the Big Lebowski.
One by one, the mistakes and stupidity of the heroes lead to the destruction of not only their own lives, but also involve them in the bloody history of others.
So, what is the secret of the debut of the talented Coen brothers, who are adored by critics and admired by the jury of film festivals? Conflict within three persons. Another side that is entrusted with the hope of solving the problem. Unbanal The reversal of history. Stupidity and the inefficiency of the thoughts of the characters. A couple of plot nodes for greater delight. Suspence in the style of Hitchcock. A crushing denouement, from which the eyes sparkle with laughter. Logical final, putting everything in place. Of course, such a scheme fits many good films. But it has its own charm: Texas, cowboy hats, country, and sparkling humor. All this will be a visiting card in future films of the greatest directors.
Blood is the first film by the Coen Brothers. Absolutely classic and simple thriller, but with a peculiar charm, revived the genre of noir and paved the way for the Coen brothers to the big movie.
The focus is on the love triangle. Marty suspects Abby's wife of cheating on one of her subordinates. He hires a private detective for surveillance, but he has his own cynical vision of the situation.
From the first frames, the viewer is enveloped in a hopeless and gloomy atmosphere. Ominous shadows, close-ups and small details and a floating camera drives the characters into frames. The whole picture is done by literally four simple characters. They speak ordinary words and behave like ordinary people, but the plot spiral becomes more unpredictable as they begin to act under the influence of emotions.
Thanks to the closed composition, tension between the characters and a bright, but at the same time everyday, denouement is achieved. The final scene, which has become one of the most magnificent and intense in the history of author cinema, has successfully passed the test of time and entered many educational materials.
Great creators start small. So some of the greatest screenwriters among the living now began with a first-class hermetic thriller under the picturesque title “Just blood”.
Without a budget, Joel Cohen, enlisting the support of brother Ethan began to create the film of the eighties, which will not stop watching even the biggest hater of retro-thrillers.
And it's all about the script, the strongest, without a single hole in the plot. Namely, scripting skills allow you to create a true suspense. It is the basis with which the director will work that stands at the center of the corner, especially in such a fragile genre as a thriller. There are very few directorial techniques that work to create tension, but this is not necessary. The script, we can say, exceeds its task.
“Just Blood” is the story of one betrayal, followed by a series of blind and senseless actions that only aggravate an already difficult situation. The whole story is shrouded in an atmosphere of fear, paranoia. By the way, the expression “just like blood” is what serious stress means after a long stay in a state of fear.
It was very nice to see in the film a young, then debutante in the movie Francis McDormand. She's certainly lucky with her career. The first film of his career - and very breakthrough. Both for the director and for the rest of the small cast.
"Just Blood" is a sealed, strong neo-noir thriller that gave the Coen brothers, Francis McDormand and future director of "Men in Black" Barry Sonnenfeld the road to the big movie. And deservedly so.
“Murder does not change anyone’s life except the life of the murdered and sometimes his killer.” Dashill Hammett. Subtle person
A woman named Abby, who suffers in marriage to the overbearing and rude owner of the bar Marty, admits intimacy with his subordinate - bartender Ray. On the betrayal of his wife, the deceived husband is reported by a private detective; the enraged Marty, more guided not by feelings of trampled love, but by the wounded pride of the owner, hires the same detective - to kill lovers for a decent reward. The cynical Pinkerton man agrees; but in the end, he acts quite differently, which inexorably entails cruel and bloody consequences.
The debut picture of the Coen brothers, first of all, from the very first minutes, captures the viewer with a series of tense scenes that follow one another, and do not allow you to distract from the narrative for any small household reflections. The laconic Shakespearean passions sweep before us, and the rare dialogues serve only as a formal occasion to dilute the thick stream of bloody silent suspense pouring from the screen, unrelenting pressure to the cynical Cheshire grin of the brothers-directors. The story in the spirit of old Hitchcock – but retold with an even more sarcastic and merciless attitude to the nature of human vices – unfolds in the vast expanses of original Texas, where, among the vast farmland and constantly working oil pumps, anyone desperate with a gun can claim that the last word will still remain with him. However, resentment is not always worth healing with revenge.
“Just Blood” is a purebred representative of the thriller genre; and so filtered and cleaned of excess impurities that its plot perfection makes you instantly believe in what is happening. At the same time, the cinema is completely devoid of any search for truths and philosophical fabrications - only harsh realities of life, where everyone doubts the sincerity of a person close to him, where the weightiness of the money bag outweighs the value of human life, and the destruction of evidence of a cruel crime is justified by an irrepressible passion for an attractive woman with whom she knows closely only a few days. And in the process of viewing, involuntarily creep some vague thoughts that all this has already been somewhere. You don’t have to be a movie fan to realize that. After all, the Coen brothers, in this film, work with the reality that is outside our window, and from this – it becomes a little uncomfortable, because you understand that from a terrible act we all are separated by either the precariousness of an unstable emotional state, or the fateful circumstances in which he was vilely driven by fate.
There is little talk in the film, and only in the case. Because of this, the resulting silence, complemented by the inventive camera work of Barry Sonnenfeld, the rare electro of Carter Burwell and the stylish editing of the brothers themselves, truly acquires sound, and seems to become one of the main characters of the picture. Doubt, fear, hopelessness, attraction and inner pain – all these and many other experiences – for greater similarity with the real life – the actors express with their faces and actions. Just screaming when you are irritated or saying: I love when you are overwhelmed with high feelings – everything immediately clears up; much more meaningful, mysterious and tense when you cast a suspicious glance at a loved one or nod your head ambiguously when you are asked whether you crossed the line.
Not only the characters and their relationships are elevated to the absolute, but also the environment itself – the industrial Texas landscape, red-hot by the hot sun in the day, is alternately replaced by night freeways, illuminated by the light of the headlights of passing cars and neon signs, sheltered by the road of motels and diners, where people are looking for solace and last shelter, fleeing from their disgraced life.
On the screen with flashes of shots and strokes of blood, a perfect neo-noir looms, not sagging for a second - remaining a masterfully shot thriller with ordinary people in the main characters and a pulsating, almost tangible tension. And it may not be the most profound movie in the world, but - damn it! - how it hypnotizes.
10 out of 10
Great debut of the famous Coen brothers and the beautiful Frances McDormand, who will be a constant participant in the creative process of these filmmakers! For the early 80s, this film was a real breakthrough. He still looks in the same breath today.
This story is full of mysticism and mystery, although in fact everything is very simple and clear. A jealous husband, a little sick on his head, decides to take revenge on his wife Abby, who ran away from him to her lover. The absurdity of the whole situation is that no one is hiding from anyone, everyone knows each other in person. In addition, Abby’s new lover is a former employee of her husband’s bar. An angry jealous man decides to resort to the help of a detective, unclean on his hand and ready for the money to kill. Yes, and the film itself takes place in one of the bloodiest states in America - Texas, where permissiveness reigns.
The title of the film also did not disappoint: there will be a lot of blood and, in fact, not because of what. It is always possible to resolve the marital issue by divorce in a peaceful way, but not in the history of the Coen brothers. Even in their first film, the characters are slightly caricatured with pronounced vices and passions. No one will rest until they finish. The finale will be disturbing, action-packed and unpredictable.
"All employees are required to wash their hands before work" - this is the inscription on the bar sign you will see in this film. Whether the heroes will wash their sins and hands of blood, you will know, watching this wonderful film, which so far only occasionally will show the features of the famous Cohen black humor.
At what point is an unsuccessful choice no longer a deviation from the right path, at what point does it become life itself?
Texas. It is not the most peaceful state in the United States from whichever side you look. Why is that? And all because only in this state legalized weapons and the owner of private property has the right to use it in relation to the intruder that sneaked into his yard to steal a rusty tire. Naturally, in this wonderful state, murders happen with special regularity. Anyway, it happened before, but I can't vouch for it here and now. But since the action takes place in Texas in the eighties of the last century, it will not do without murder, or even without two ... or three. Or ten. Who knows? One way or another, this is just blood.
And the main character of our story today is a young woman Abby and she is unlucky. It's bad luck. Abby managed to fall in love with the charming owner of the bar Marty and she even married him, but this marriage became a real punishment for the girl, as her new fiancé turned out to be a satrap and a heap of madmen. In an attempt to find a way out of this situation, Abby meets a young and charming man Ray, who never tires of admiring the main character and gives the latter compliments. Unfortunately, this is the only thing Ray can give a girl, since he works for Marty, but the latter, like all sorts of satraps, has not paid his employees for two weeks. But even such signs of attention Abby was enough to share a bed with Ray, and as for the consequences, we will think about them in due course. And all would be fine, but for love pleasures watched by a private detective Lorenzo, who did not fail to show the husband of the girl compromising photos. Marty is naturally furious, and like any man in a state of affect, he offers Lorenzo ten thousand dollars to kill both Ray and Abby. If Marty knew what his decision would turn out to be and what it would turn out to be, he would have given up on everything, sold the bar, found a girl with the same unbearable character and left for warm lands. But Marty did not know, as did the rest of the characters, what will result in a hasty decision and whose life will soon end.
It would seem that such a plot plot could be seen in a variety of not the highest quality thrillers, even in the series “Colombo” something similar was played out, but the fact is that in the director’s chair sat not amateurs, but professionals, and let “Just Blood” was the debut work of the Coen brothers, but this film traces all that we love thrillers of these two brothers. The first is the tense and sticky atmosphere of fear that keeps the viewer at the screen from the first to the last frame. Why is that? And all because the events in the picture are developing rapidly and unpredictable and due to this circumstance you can not say with certainty which of the characters will live to the final credits and will at least someone live? Secondly, the characters of the picture look as alive as possible for a movie. Their emotions and feelings are shown without excessive pathos or gloss, but the most important thing is dialogue. How is it usually in this kind of movie? The characters give out whole canvases of text in which there is a place for philosophical reflections on what is good and what they want from life and much more. In this film there will be nothing like this and the characters of the picture communicate quite simple, but at the same time lively language, and sometimes the characters freeze thinking about what to say and whether in such a situation at least something to say? All this looks so believable that you can’t help imbuing yourself with sympathy for the characters of the picture and this despite the fact that the language will not turn to be good, but how damn the characters turned out to be alive. Third, it is a camera work that, like all the other Coen Brothers films, notices what escapes the eyes of the characters and would most likely escape the attention of the viewer if the latter did not look into all eyes at what is happening. But in addition to the small, and at first glance insignificant, details in the picture there is also something that creates the proper atmosphere - night Texas, where you can not see clearly and therefore there is a feeling that the characters go further and further into the darkness and so you want to shout to them - "turn", but they still will not hear and will continue to go until the light of the headlights finally goes out somewhere in the distance.
To sum up, I want to say that this is a very heavy and cruel film. This is a film about how people who have made one mistake do not try to correct it, and therefore make new ones until it is too late to correct something. This is a film about the fact that people daily deceive themselves by blaming others for their troubles, but never dared to look at themselves from the outside. This is a great thriller that I recommend to all fans of the genre.
8 out of 10
Already the debut work of Ethan and Joel Cohen declares the brothers’ further addiction to detective storytelling in many of their paintings. However, so far they are not so fooling the viewer with an abundance of black humor and ridiculous events, usually confusing with their pseudo-seriousness. Before us is a typical representative of the criminal genre with an atmosphere of a cold thriller. The owner of a bar hires a private investigator to follow his wife, who constantly cheats on him. Upon learning that she has contacted one of his employees, he offers the detective to retrain as a killer. Of course, for a lot of money. But he decides to turn things around in his own way, as a result of which the events acquire a rather bloody character.
Even without seeing “Fargo” and “No Country for Old Men” (although chronologically these are later paintings), it is easy to assume that we are waiting for a couple of corpses and a meticulous investigation into the causes of the murder of these unfortunates. You won’t wait until the end of the film. No cops, almost no shooting, the number of actors is kept to a minimum - the Cohens don't need it. Their task is simply to scare us and make us think about some inexplicable details, and themselves - to laugh, standing behind the camera. But we certainly will not laugh, because the brothers, like the unsurpassed master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock, so deftly weave the plot threads of the nightmare that we get headlong into them and, no matter how hard we try, we can not get out until the credits appear to us cordially do not allow it.
And while we're forced to watch, different things happen on the screen. For all their simplicity, they create the illusion of impending danger, even if it is false. Heroes sometimes have a dialogue right next to the windows. They do not suspect anything, and only a thin glass protects them. And the inexplicable fear that one of them will suddenly blow the head with a bullet, chains to the place and does not allow you to look away from their faces. After the first such dialogue, the notes of the thriller begin to sound more often, and the tension - and in some places, the icy horror - grows stronger. When the heroine, alone in an empty house, begins to hear footsteps nearby and the sound of the door unlocked, they reach the limit. The reception, though beaten, but classic and verified, and each time has a frightening and fascinating effect.
But the main symbol of the directors is blood. Footage in crimson-red tones more than once appear on the screen, forcing the soul to go even further into the heels, and nausea to come closer to the throat. And one episode seems the most symbolic - just as a bartender tries to hide traces of blood in the back seat of his car, she still betrays. It is as a reminder of what has been done, as an evil fate, as a red spot in life that can no longer be erased. But, in fact, it is unlikely that the Cohens hint at this, because, as I said at the beginning, they tend to fool the viewer with scenes that at first glance express some idea or important thought, but in fact turn out to be simple mockery and play of the mind. And in this case, the element of mockery and ridicule is reflected, I think, already in the title of the film and in the free play of the concept of “blood” against the background of nightmare events – they say, well, yes, murders, corpses, bloody rivers flow everywhere – but it’s just blood, nothing special, you should not be shocked.
“Just Blood” is just a worthy precursor to the next bright films of the brothers, shining with their originality, pretentiousness, good humor and unforgettable characters. It is not that the film turned out to be innovative and impeccable in content, but it certainly cannot be called ordinary or passable. After all, to mark the beginning of the creative path with such a good thriller is already an achievement, behind which good prospects begin to loom.
Young and beautiful Abby is unhappy in her marriage to Marty, a mentally unstable bar owner, which is why she seeks solace on the side with bartender Ray. Marty learns about the affair, and, eaten by jealousy, decides to get rid of lovers. Marty hires a “private detective” Lorena to track them down and kill them. However, Lauren is not in a hurry to help Marty and he is clearly pursuing some kind of profit, which does not coincide with Marty’s plan and will launch a monstrous mechanism of bloodshed.
The directorial debut of the famous tandem of brothers Joel Cohen and Ethan Cohen can be safely called an exemplary “first pancake”, which, contrary to the saying, succeeded in fame. In fact, here, in this dark thriller, where the atmosphere of a “black film” or neonoir reigns, which has undergone corresponding changes in pace with time, the Coens have clearly and clearly stated what their further “typical” works will be – exciting and exciting atmospheric thrillers, shot and played at a high level, and also, necessarily flavored with black humor. If you look at the entire work of the Cohens as a whole, then in almost every subsequent tape of the brothers there are scenes that refer to this debut, which, one might say, turned out to be a storehouse of golden quotes for all their work. The thick and sparkling atmosphere acts as a background for unfolding events and revealing the characters and motives of the heroes who became victims of quite typical “human passions”. A special role in whipping up the black atmosphere is played by the unobtrusive piano of the composer Carter Burwell, which, however, can sound in your head for a very long time after watching and make you repeatedly mentally return to different scenes from the film, shot inventively (and innovative at the time) and with a keen sense of style. “Just Blood” opened the world not only the Coen brothers themselves – here began the rise of the career of the cameraman Barry Sonnenfeld, who, later, will grow into a director and give the world a series of films “The Addams Family” and “Men in Black”, as well as actress Frances McDormand will receive a lucky ticket to the big movie after the role of the fateful Abby (and the role was intended for Holly Hunter, who, being already busy, just asked her roommate, Frances McDormand, to replace her!). And, as it turns out, not only the Cohens will continue the traditions inherent in the picture – David Lynch in his “highway to nowhere” (1997) will reproduce a very similar composition of a number of scenes.
9 out of 10
Looking at Just Blood, it’s hard to believe that this was the Coen brothers’ first pen test. The duo, who shoots pictures at the junction of banal entertainment and a kind of intellectual pleasure, in the first work shows their manner and style: visually verified frames, multiple macroplanes and concentration on details that can be mistaken for unspoken symbolism.
From the plot, which is not much of a story, the brothers concocted a rather strong thriller, flavoring it with black humor, a couple of curious twists and a few liters of blood, which looks more convenient here than ever. Somewhere in our country, a movie about murder and treason would come straight to the screens of, say, NTV. Or worse, "Russia."
However, the Coens competently pull the cat by the eggs and in a leisurely manner tell the story, which is described in two sentences, and offer the viewer a kind of modern noir in neon tones, where a color picture is necessary like air. And not because the Cohens abhor the classics. It's just a different time.
Very well brothers play with light in the dark, which at certain moments coldens the soul. The shooting scene in this case is one of the best they could think of. And the alarming sound already prepares the viewer in advance for the inevitable finale: the pipe under the sink is the best thing you can see at the end of your life.
It is not known what the Cohens are thinking about their first swallow. Why do they love her, hate her, want to fix her? But one thing is known for sure that “Just Blood” is just one of those things that catapult into a stellar orbit with one, but very weighty fact: after such debuts you want to or do not want to, and you have to reckon with the authors immediately.
I’ve long wanted to watch the Coen’s first film to see how they started their film career. We can say that the bar brothers raised very high, below which, as a rule, they do not fall.
The film “Just Blood” is shot in the genre of criminal drama, the plot of which is decorated in the spirit of Chandler or Cheizovsky “cool detectives”. Given the fact that in the 80s in America begins the “second life” of detective novels published in the 30-50s, the Coen brothers with their film went “in step with the times”. There was a certain commercial calculation.
The setting of the tape is very simple: there is a love triangle, the boundaries of which are shattered by a private detective hired by a deceived husband (by the way, on whose behalf the narrative is being told at the beginning of the film). A series of accidents leads to the fact that ordinary people found themselves in an unusual environment for themselves. And here comes the dramatic part of the film narrative: how far you are willing to go for what you do not want to lose. And that's where the Coen brothers are bringing us their film. The main thing here is not the detective intrigue that is present in the first half of the film (fake photos, a forgotten lighter, a stolen gun, etc.), but the shown ability of the average layman to make a decisive action (" Texas is Texas). Here you are left to yourself”). That’s why the quality of acting was of great importance for the success of a film with a minimally cut-off number of criminal acts. A game that was supposed to keep us in constant tension with what is happening on the screen and make us believe in the realism of what is happening.
Of the four main actors, I know only two from other films (husband Dan Heday, who I remember from Alien 4 and wife Frances McDormand, who perfectly played in the film Fargo). Despite the fact that half of the main characters started in their film career with the movie “Just Blood”, their play seemed very convincing to me. The emotional level of passion, given the stinginess of the directors for dialogue, perfectly demonstrates the psychological tension corresponding to the environment in which the main characters fell. However, at first it was unusual to watch the constantly slow gait, as in a fog, the main characters in those situations when you need to act quickly. But then I realized that this is such a directorial feature that kills two birds with one stone: it perfectly creates an atmosphere of tension (for example, I have already driven the heroes aloud to do something faster) and emphasizes the importance of those decisive actions that are subsequently committed.
Cinematography was important for the ever-increasing tension and perception of the film in the noir style. Almost 80% of the film takes place at night, where the cameraman, playing with light and shadow, making large shots, sharp transitions, creates his original atmosphere of the film, in which the viewer immerses himself. It also highlights the realism and... routine of what is happening. For example, a night scene with the burying of a half-body on the field, which ended with a sharp transition to the blood-red beautiful morning landscape, tucked in a light fog.
The film has a very memorable soundtrack. I don’t know who wrote it (and I haven’t tried to, frankly), but it’s hard to find something better for this movie based on what you see on the screen. As we see ordinary people knocked out of their lives by unforeseen events, the soundtrack just makes us numb, plunging viewers into a certain trance from what they saw. The psychedelic melody clearly emphasizes the shock state of the main characters of the tape, and its heavy chords only intensify the depressing atmosphere of the film.
In general, the directorial debut of the Coens in the distant 80s was a hurrah. Their crime drama “Just Blood” is interesting, keeps the viewer in constant tension and is devoted to those issues that will not pass by anyone (the main thing is not to focus on actions and do not wait for dynamically developing events). The style of work of both brothers was clearly defined. In general, their films are life dramas, where certain problems are played out that can arise before a simple layman. Sometimes these are dramas with instructive notes, that is, with a certain moralizing. The plot is very simple, but it makes unexpected turns, making the viewer wonder what will happen next. Nicoda should not forget that a characteristic feature of the plot in the films of the Cohens is the thoughtfulness of every detail, where there is nothing superfluous. Sometimes this plot can fool the viewer, as the brothers make the events or background so intense that it is very easy to lose the main narrative line. Often this happens due to the metaphors that they weave into the narrative, which the viewer takes literally (although the film “Just Blood” they do not shine). Thematic music is selected, which should emphasize the director's idea. And most importantly, they choose talented actors who can easily implement the idea of these directors.
A story of betrayal and revenge, in which error intervenes and after which everything turns upside down. You could say the standard Cohen storyline. But it is, of course, only superficial. Everything about the brothers’ films seems perfect here. In their first work, the Coens gave away everything they had in their head without looking back.
Blood Simple is also a very good movie. Here, in fact, there is nothing to complain about, both in terms of acting and in the technical component. One camera job is worth it. Barry Sonnenfeld is brilliant! This, in theory, a dull thriller, was “painted” with regular non-standard angles. Coupled with the excellent, for the debut, editing of the Cohens, the film even visually brings great pleasure.
Frances McDormand entered the world of cinema with the Coens. Approved for the lead female role in the film Holly Hunter was unable to take part in the shooting and asked her roommate to replace her. That neighbor was Frances. And she played above all praise. McDormand has starred in six Cohen films and won an Oscar for one. I think it is worth paying attention to Blood Simpl.
Many estimates of the picture boil down to the fact that it is recommended to fans of the Cohens. I do not doubt that few of them began to get acquainted with the work of the brothers from this film, and therefore I, as one of them, wildly wanted to see how the masters began. But looking at it, I can tell you that it is capable of engaging a wider audience. If you love movies, this movie is a must see. Forget the saying, "First Pancake." You will not be disappointed.
Truth in that I feel bad...the truth in that I buried him while he was still alive... This movie attracted me for two reasons. The first is that it was the first film to win the Sundance Award for Best Independent Film. And the second is that it was the first Coen Brothers movie. The strangest thing is that the first films I watched with these directors, I really didn’t like. I'm talking about "Old Men Don't Place" and "Burn After Reading." Immediately, these directors were on my blacklist. But then one day I saw the movie Fargo and that was it. The film was so great that after that I began to watch more and more of their paintings, and now ... A young woman, Abby, is unsatisfied with her marriage to Marty, a rough Texas bar owner. A passion breaks out between Abby and bartender Ray. The deceived husband suspects the affair and hires a private investigator to track down and then kill the lovers. But... something unexpected is happening... The detective decided to cheat, as a result of which more people were injured than planned. The film is very powerful. Probably the best of the Cohen films in terms of its intensity. If "Fargo" was the comedic side of everything that happened, then there is no more. Everything is very serious, cruel and believable. However, this is always the case with the first films of individual directors. When they do not depend on anyone, they shoot for their pleasure. Just like Tarantino in Reservoir Dogs. So does the Cohens in Simple Blood. Do whatever they want. As a result, the film is presented to us in very good quality. And if further, starting with "Barton Fink" all the films with a comedic hue (except for "Old Men here is no place", probably for this film and received an Oscar), then in their first film everything was so serious and cruel that it is breathtaking. Each of the Cohen films is accompanied by a certain morality. Don’t worry about what you don’t have. Well, you can't jump over your head. The point is the same. That if a man, by virtue of his perceptive brain, can invent something beyond what he can do, it is better to forget about it. The detective started a game he could not win. That's what I paid for. John Goetz played the main male role in this film. The lover of the wife of the owner of the bar where he works. Played really well. Now I know exactly what feelings and emotions a person experiences when they bury another person alive. Well, the other roles are not bad, but nothing memorable. This is really cool. And now, after watching so many Coen films, I can confidently say that alongside Tarantino, I can call them “revolutionaries” of today’s era, in a good way. While most directors make stamped movies, mostly action movies and romantic comedies, these directors make films that are unlike anything, and for this they are in the cohort of my favorite directors, and “Just Blood”, in my opinion, if not the best, then the second best film of the Coens. Original
Truth in that I feel bad...the truth in that I buried him while he was still alive... This movie attracted me for two reasons. The first is that it was the first film to win the Sundance Award for Best Independent Film. And the second is that it was the first Coen Brothers movie. The strangest thing is that the first films I watched with these directors, I really didn’t like. I'm talking about "Old Men Don't Place" and "Burn After Reading." Immediately, these directors were on my blacklist. But then one day I saw the movie Fargo and that was it. The film was so great that after that I began to watch more and more of their paintings, and now ... A young woman, Abby, is unsatisfied with her marriage to Marty, a rough Texas bar owner. A passion breaks out between Abby and bartender Ray. The deceived husband suspects the affair and hires a private investigator to track down and then kill the lovers. But... something unexpected is happening... The detective decided to cheat, as a result of which more people were injured than planned. The film is very powerful. Probably the best of the Cohen films in terms of its intensity. If "Fargo" was the comedic side of everything that happened, then there is no more. Everything is very serious, cruel and believable. However, this is always the case with the first films of individual directors. When they do not depend on anyone, they shoot for their pleasure. Just like Tarantino in Reservoir Dogs. So does the Cohens in Simple Blood. Do whatever they want. As a result, the film is presented to us in very good quality. And if further, starting with "Barton Fink" all the films with a comedic hue (except for "Old Men here is no place", probably for this film and received an Oscar), then in their first film everything was so serious and cruel that it is breathtaking. Each of the Cohen films is accompanied by a certain morality. Don’t worry about what you don’t have. Well, you can't jump over your head. The point is the same. That if a man, by virtue of his perceptive brain, can invent something beyond what he can do, it is better to forget about it. The detective started a game he could not win. That's what I paid for. John Goetz played the main male role in this film. The lover of the wife of the owner of the bar where he works. Played really well. Now I know exactly what feelings and emotions a person experiences when they bury another person alive. Well, the other roles are not bad, but nothing memorable. This is really cool. And now, after watching so many Coen films, I can confidently say that alongside Tarantino, I can call them “revolutionaries” of today’s era, in a good way. While most directors make stamped movies, mostly action movies and romantic comedies, these directors make films that are unlike anything, and for this they are in the cohort of my favorite directors, and “Just Blood”, in my opinion, if not the best, then the second best film of the Coens. Original
