#190: A Simple Plan

A Simple Plan (1998)
Directed by Sam Raimi
Written by Scott B. Smith based on his novel
Starring Bill Paxton, Bridget Fonda, Billy Bob Thornton, Brent Briscoe, Gary Cole.



A couple years ago my criminology professor played A Simple Plan in class. To this day, her reasoning is unclear and no one really paid attention in class, which was a shame. It's Raimi's most mature and developed film he's ever made.

Similar in basic premise to the Coen's No Country For Old Men it asks what someone would do if he or she found a bunch of money in the woods with no one around. Sure, immediately you'd think it's so easy just to take it and no one would ever know, but then you wouldn't have much of a movie on your hands. Pretty much just a masturbatory fantasy of escaping responsibility.

This is a bleak film. And some people hate bleak, for much of the same reason why I love it. Movies aren't just about escaping to a magical happy world. A Simple Plan could happen. It takes place in a small town where everyone knows one another. Those who find the money have managed their lives without it for so long but when it enters the equation, it drives obsession and madness into the quiet life of the small town between three acquaintances.

It's a slow burn of a movie, with communication falling between the lines of dialogue. How Hank looks at his brother or wife conveys more of his intentions than what he says. It's a great performance by the underrated Paxton.

Raimi may be bogged down as the director of the Spider-Man movies now, but he has a style and an eye for detail that will be noticed again. He made a couple great superhero movies and one terrible one and is on the verge of starting a fourth. If only he would return to his bread and butter of horror or subtle thrillers. Go low budget Sammy!

Have you seen A Simple Plan? It seems to be a forgotten gem now. It came about to solid reviews but is rarely mentioned in the same breath as the other great films from the 90s. 1998 was a great year for cinema, and if you haven't seen this one yet, do yourself a favour.