Blood Simple (Director's Cut)

Amazon.com essential video

The debut film of director Joel Coen and his brother-producer Ethan Coen, 1983's Blood Simple is grisly comic noir that marries the feverish toughness of pulp thrillers with the ghoulishness of even pulpier horror. (Imagine the novels of Jim Thompson somehow fused with the comic tabloid Weird Tales, and you get the idea.) The story concerns a Texas bar owner (Dan Hedaya) who hires a seedy private detective (M. Emmett Walsh) to follow his cheating wife (Frances McDormand in her first film appearance), and then kill her and her lover (John Getz). The gumshoe turns the tables on his client, and suddenly a bad situation gets much, much worse, with some violent goings-on that are as elemental as they are shocking. (A scene in which a character who has been buried alive suddenly emerges from his own grave instantly becomes an archetypal nightmare.) Shot by Barry Sonnenfeld before he became an A-list director in Hollywood, Blood Simple established the hyperreal look and feel of the Coens' productions (undoubtedly inspired a bit by filmmaker Sam Raimi, whose The Evil Dead had just been coedited by Joel). Sections of the film have proved to be an endurance test for art-house movie fans, particularly an extended climax that involves one shock after another but ends with a laugh at the absurdity of criminal ambition. This is definitely one of the triumphs of the 1980s and the American independent film scene in general. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

good film.......2007-09-15

I never saw the original version, only this one. I thought it was a good film, although I found myself guessing what was going to happen next quite easily. I did enjoy the performances though and I would recommend it to someone wanting to see a quirky crime movie, with quite a few twists and turns.

We're not communicating.......2007-07-27

We're talking here (the Royal we) about the Director's Uncut. After reading most of the reviews to date we understand that most people know it's great, but everyone has a different take on what it's about. Well, not everyone. Anyway, we thought we'd make a few comments. 1. Never believe anything the Coens tell you. 2. This story isn't that simple. Well, it is, in a way. 3. This story hasn't any more holes than any other detective/murder/hoodunnit/mystery/thriller --- they all have holes, the whole lot of them --- only you don't notice because they aren't what these stories are about. 4. The aim of these movies is to keep you watching, goggle-eyed. They're puzzles. 5. Ray and Abby aren't lovers at the beginning: that's why they aren't lovers as events unfold. They don't even know each other. 6. In Texas, you're on your own. It's not like Russia. Well, it is, in a way. 7. This is a five actor movie, not a four-hander. What about Samm-Art? He has a key part. 8. This region of Texas isn't cool. It's hot as hell, and everybody's sweating, unless they're spewing. See the flies feeding off Emmet's face. 9. No Coens film is any better than this. Different? Yes, if you will. As good? Why not. More expensive ? Sure. More creative, more original ? I wouldn't hardly say so. 10. This is a comedy, because it has a happy ending. The bad, the stupid, the sleazy and the bent get theirs: the sweet and innocent stays to collect.

Blood Complicated.......2007-07-14

The Coen Brothers, who ingeniously draw plot lines that come out of a hat, really deliver in `Blood Simple.' At the opening a narrator tells us in this DVD edition, this film is a prototype of the independent movie. It's easy to see why. `Blood Simple is simply one of the best twist of fate movies ever conceived. If you loved 'Fargo' or 'A Simple Plan,' then this movie is a must.

Taking place in Texas, Julian Marty (Dan Hedaya) owns a bar, but keeps most of his tabs on his unfaithful wife (Frances McDormand) who steps out with his closest working associate, Ray (John Getz). "Marty," as he's commonly called, hires a private detective Visser (M. Emmet Walsh) to be his eyes and ears to the infidelity. With great skill, Visser documents the affair, but has an axe to grind against his own employer. A murder takes place, but the complications make the title of this film a tongue-in-cheek misnomer.

Playful, twisty, and ironic, like their other adventures, Joel and Ethan Coen's pre-'Fargo' masterpiece is, if anything, more deft in its plot and execution. Frances McDormand brings her admirable debut with a Southern accent, and M. Emmet Walsh, whose been an able supporting role character, shines in perhaps his finest performance. Suspenseful, entertaining, and rewarding, `Blood Simple' is a cornerstone caper for movie fans.

Blood Simple.......2007-07-06

Filmed on a shoestring budget by Joel Coen and his producer brother Ethan, this heart-pounding homage to 1940s film noir was instantly hailed as a classic of American indie cinema. Featuring Barry Sonnenfeld's innovative camerawork and murky lighting, "Simple" not only tells a dark, disturbing tale of murder, passion, and back-stabbing meanness, it introduces the marvelously talented McDormand and features a brilliant performance by Walsh as a sleazy, audaciously amoral gumshoe. Inspired by the novels of James M. Cain and Jim Thompson, "Blood Simple" is a gutsy, dark-comic debut thriller by the directors of "Fargo" and "The Big Lebowski".

Please enter a title for your review.......2007-05-06

Every dialogue exchange is slow and tedious. Waiting for a pertinent piece of information to drop is an exercise in patience and endurance. The characters are never established, nor developed enough to even like or dislike them or have much understanding of what motivates anything they do.

The Coen Brothers Collection (The Big Lebowski/Blood Simple/The Man Who Wasn't There/Intolerable Cruelty)

Average customer rating:

Great diverse collection from the Coens
BLOOD SIMPLE IS ONE OF THE BEST FILMS EVER MADE
Horrible Compilation
THE COEN BROTHERS COLLECTION

The Coen Brothers Collection (The Big Lebowski/Blood Simple/The Man Who Wasn't There/Intolerable Cruelty)
Starring: John Getz , Frances McDormand , Dan Hedaya , M. Emmet Walsh , and Samm-Art Williams
Director: Joel Coen , and Ethan Coen
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Comic Action | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Comedy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000ASATSU
Release Date: 2005-10-18

Description

The Big Lebowski: The Coen brothers' irreverent cult hit comes to DVD as a Collector's Edition, with all-new bonus material. The hilariously twisted comedy-thriller stars Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi and Julianne Moore. Join the "Dude" and his bowling buddies on their journey that blends unforgettable characters, kidnapping, a case of mistaken identity and White Russians. Enter the visually unique and entertaining world from the creative minds of the Coen brothers and remember: the Dude abides.

Blood Simple: This critically-acclaimed thriller set in rural Texas combines chilling suspense with offbeat humor to create an all-American version of the classic "film noir." Abby (Frances McDormand) is cheating on her saloonkeeper husband, Marty (Dan Hedaya). The object of her affections is Ray (John Getz), one of Marty's bartenders. Marty hires Visser (M. Emmet Walsh), an unscrupulous detective, to kill them but Visser has other, more lucrative plans of his own. So begins a calculating round of double and triple crosses that build to a bloodcurdling, surprise-filled climax. It's an evil-minded masterpiece from the exciting filmmaking team of Joel and Ethan Coen. In Blood Simple, when someone's gone...it's never for good!

Intolerable Cruelty: It's comic gold as two of Hollywood's most dazzling stars - George Clooney and Academy Award-winner Catherine Zeta-Jones - light up the screen in Intolerable Cruelty, a hilarious romantic comedy about men, women, and everything that can go wrong between them. Sparks fly when brilliant divorce attorney Miles Massey (Clooney) meets his match in the beautiful but ruthless Marylin Rexroth (Zeta-Jones). From Academy Award-winning directors Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (Fargo; O Brother, Where Art Thou?), Intolerable Cruelty also stars multi-talented Billy Bob Thornton and outrageous Cedric The Entertainer.

The Man Who Wasn't There: The Coen Brothers are back with a dark and twisted film noir unlike anything you've ever seen. Set in a small 1949 California town, this is the story of a seemingly simple barber, who turns to blackmail and revenge to escape his achingly dull life. But in the tradition of classic noir, nothing goes as planned and nothing is as it seems. And as the barber's plot unravels, the delicious surprises, stunning revelations and just plain strange occurrences will disturb and delight you long after the film has ended.

Customer Reviews:

Great diverse collection from the Coens.......2007-01-04

This 4 movie collection from 2 of the most original minds in cinema is a real treat.
Big Lebowski is possibly the best example of the Coen brothers style as it contains elements of drama, mystery and comedy in an intertwining tapestry.
Blood Simple remains one of the best thrillers made since Hitchcock's prime.
Intolerable Cruelty is fun romantic comedy.
And finally the Man Who Wasn't There is fascinating film noir combined with a Lynchian sensibility.
The negative reviews below are silly. First, these films represent only the Universal films the Coen's have made, thus, it's logical and predictable that this box set contains nothing from the other studios.
Also, one reviewer giving the collection 1 star is a big Spielberg fan, yet, seems to dislike his more adult work. (Furthermore, if you don't even like the Coens' Blood Simple you should definitely stick to E.T.)
A reviewer from Australia gives this collection a single star because she received the wrong country format. (That's a real shame, but a movie review site is a poor place to discuss a customer service issue.)

Hopefully there will be other collections released containing the other Coen brother films from the other studios.

BLOOD SIMPLE IS ONE OF THE BEST FILMS EVER MADE.......2007-01-01

AWESOME SET.
BLOOD SIMPLE AND THE BIG LEBOWSKI ARE AWESOME. THE OTHER TWO ARE NOT QUITE AS GOOD, BUT ARE GREAT FILMS AS WELL.
BLOOD SIMPLE IS ONE OF THE BEST FILMS EVER MADE.
THE COEN BROTHERS ARE PERHAPS THE BEST FILM MAKERS AROUND IN THIS DAY AND AGE (TOO BAD THERE AREN'T ANY KUBRICKS LEFT OUT THERE).

Horrible Compilation.......2006-08-21

Atrocious Compilation - it's of some of the worst films the Coens' did (excluding The Big Lebowksi) and does not include their most famous films. What were they thinking? It's like if they released a Spielberg Compilation but only included Catch Me If You Can, AI, Minority Report, and War of the Worlds. WTF!!!!

Plus you can buy each DVD separately and come UNDER the asking price of the entire set. The BIg Lebowski and The Man Who Wasn't There are about 10 bucks new in most stores. Blood Simple and Int. Cruelty (which is the most UNCoen film ever) are closer to 5 in many places I've seen. So don't fall into the "compilation trap" because you are not getting a "bulk" discount. Just buy the films you want separately. Most Coen DVDs are very reasonable price wise.

Any Coen compilation without Fargo, Barton Fink, and Raising Arizona is worthless.
And again, you're better off spending $40 on those DVDs individually.

THE COEN BROTHERS COLLECTION.......2006-08-17

The DVDs we received were not formatted to Zone 4 (Australia) se we've had to return the goods, unfortunately. Therefore, no helpful comments.

Coen Brothers Gift Set (Fargo / Miller's Crossing / Barton Fink / Raising Arizona / Blood Simple)

Average customer rating:

Coen Brothers Gift Set (Fargo / Miller's Crossing / Barton Fink / Raising Arizona / Blood Simple)
Starring: Nicolas Cage , Holly Hunter , Trey Wilson , John Goodman , and William Forsythe
Director: Joel Coen , and Ethan Coen
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000V3JGII
Release Date: 2007-11-06

Description

Disc 1: Barton Fink WS Disc 2: Blood Simple WS Disc 3: Fargo WS Disc 4: Miller's Crossing WS Disc 5: Raising Arizona WS

Average customer rating:

do yourself a favor, buy somthing else.
Did not like this: very poor quality
Contents of this DVD

Japanese Shiatsu Massage Made Simple
Starring: Jerry Luglio
Manufacturer: Artistic Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video

Fitness | Fitness & Yoga | Genres | DVD | Video

Stretching | Fitness & Yoga | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Educational | Genres | DVD | Video

( J ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Special Interests | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

Independently Distributed | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

General | Instructional | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00078TUL0
Release Date: 2005-02-01

Customer Reviews:

do yourself a favor, buy somthing else........2006-12-21

i was deeply sorry that i bought this tape, after i viewed 10 times i did not learned nothing from it.

Did not like this: very poor quality.......2005-10-29

Bought this DVD to deepen my knowledge and improve my technique as a Cerified Massage Therapist and a graduatee in Massage Therapy at College.

Was greatly disappointed with the material presented in this DVD and its poor quality. It looks more like a home made video than a serious hands-on visual manual.

Contents of this DVD.......2005-06-21

Detailed instruction includes stretching exercises for the masseur and techniques for massaging every part of the body. Close-ups and many camera angles make learning the techniques easier. Menu chapters for each technique makes this DVD easy to use.
Jerry Luglio thoroughly explains the principles behind each technique, including finger and palm pressure, breathing techniques, passive stretching, loosening joints and examples of treatment of particular problems.
This is a chance to share healing with your friends and family. Shiatsu massage brings a deep inner peace throughout your body.
2 hours

Average customer rating:

good film
We're not communicating
Blood Complicated
Blood Simple
Please enter a title for your review

Blood Simple. [Region 2]
Starring: John Getz , Frances McDormand , Dan Hedaya , M. Emmet Walsh , and Samm-Art Williams
Director: Joel Coen , and Ethan Coen
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00005BATF

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

good film.......2007-09-15

We're not communicating.......2007-07-27

Blood Complicated.......2007-07-14

Blood Simple.......2007-07-06

Please enter a title for your review.......2007-05-06

Average customer rating:

good film
We're not communicating
Blood Complicated
Blood Simple
Please enter a title for your review

Blood Simple. [Region 2]
Starring: John Getz , Frances McDormand , Dan Hedaya , M. Emmet Walsh , and Samm-Art Williams
Director: Joel Coen , and Ethan Coen
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00004W4H4

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

good film.......2007-09-15

We're not communicating.......2007-07-27

Blood Complicated.......2007-07-14

Blood Simple.......2007-07-06

Please enter a title for your review.......2007-05-06

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