Blood Simple (1984)

Blood Simple (1984), written, produced and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen.

A cheating wife, a murderously jealous husband, a big-hat-no-cattle cowboy private investigator who will do anything. Texas. A plot like nightmares you've had, where you've done something terrible and there is no going back. A nylon jacket won't mop up that blood. How to get the stains out of the back seat? Driving at night, sounds from the back of the car. "Truth is...he was alive when I buried him."

The Coen's first film made a big splash. It's a fine, atmospheric little thriller with unexpected twists. No one sees everything that is happening and they are not people who communicate very well. The boyfriend is just starting to figure it out when he stands in front of the wrong window.

Two of my favorite "ugly" guys -- Dan Hedaya and M. Emmet Walsh -- together!

Bleak, autumnal little score by Carter Burwell. It doesn't match the landscape, but suits the mood.

The title refers to the unreliable mental state people have when it gets bloody. "Don't go simple on me." Long after seeing the film I saw the phrase in Dashiell Hammett, Red Harvest: “This damned burg's getting me. If I don't get away soon I'll be going blood-simple like the natives.”

Available on Blu-ray, only fair quality. This is the director's cut which trimmed a few scenes, unnecessarily I thought when I first saw it.

The intro and commentary track are both spoofs. The commentary is funny but a little goes a long way.