Movies

The Avocado Movie Club #24: Blood Simple (1984)

Welcome to the Movie Club! Today’s movie is the Coen Brother’s debut film, the neo-noir Blood Simple! 

Italian release poster that makes it look like an old school giallo

Blood Simple follows the ill-fated couple of Abby (played by Frances McDormand in her film debut) and Ray (John Getz) when they begin to have an affair with each other. This causes Abby’s husband, Marty (Dan Hedaya), to hire a private investigator (M. Emmet Walsh) to kill them, and in what would eventually become one of the Coen Brother’s common tropes, things begin to spiral out of control as these otherwise regular people get tied up in a tragic tale of murder and theft.

Blood Simple first premiered at the USA Film Festival in Dallas, Texas, before going on a run of the festival circuit, getting played at major festivals such as TIFF and Cannes. Afterwards, it received a limited release in the US on January 15, 1985, but has received numerous limited rereleases in the US and other international markets over the years, eventually earning around $2.7 million against its initial budget of $1.5 million.1 It was critically acclaimed on release though and currently has a 94% Rotten Tomatoes, and of course, helped launch the careers of Joel and Ethan Coen.2

Trivia:3

  • This was Barry Sonnenfield’s first time on feature film set, and he had to ask an assistant cameraman to show him where the on-off switch was on a 35mm camera.
  • A dummy trailer, featuring Bruce Campbell, was first shot as a way to entice investors. 
  • The transition where Abby is in Ray’s office and then falls backwards into her bed was shot using a special rig designed by the movie’s grip, Tom Prophet.

What did you think? Share your thoughts below! 

Up Next: June’s theme is Pride Month! Our next movie will be Sebastián Lelio’s drama A Fantastic Woman. Check out the trailer and where it’s playing below:

USA

  • Stream: Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube
  • Rent or Buy: Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango At Home

Canada

  • Stream: Hoopla, Sundance Now (via Prime Video or Apple TV)
  • Rent or Buy: Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Cineplex Store

UK

  • Stream: Curzon (via Prime Video), itvX (Free?)
  • Rent or Buy: Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Rakuten TV, Sky Store, Apple TV, Curzon, BFI Player
  1. https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Blood-Simple#tab=box-office ↩︎
  2. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blood_simple ↩︎
  3. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/nov/06/how-we-made-blood-simple-coen-brothers-barry-sonnenfeld ↩︎