A Simple Plan (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Hank (Bill Paxton) is a well-respected & reasonably happy man; living in a snowy Midwestern town with his pregnant wife Sarah, (Bridget Fonda). But on one fateful winter day, his life changed forever. When Hank, his slow-witted brother Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton), & pal Lou (Brent Briscoe) find $4.4 million inside a crashed plane in a nature preserve, they quickly come up with 'A Simple Plan' to keep the $$ safe. They figure: the pilot is dead, no one is looking for the $$ (at that point), and all they have to do is wait until any interest in the crash has died down. But the foursome doesn't stick to their plan as well as they should've.
Lou, always in financial debt, is desperate for his share. Jacob wants to restore his parents' farm, etc. Hank has never been at ease with the plan. Even the cunning Sarah is floundering. What once seemed to be a foolproof, straight-as-an-arrow plan now contains road bumps. Tiny accidents start piling up after an FBI agent comes to town searching for the missing aircraft. And the inter-personal relationships btwn. each person involved starts to dissolve. With each passing minute/hour/day they begin to doubt each other's trust. And one incident in particular leads to some shocking results.
Well-written by Scott Smith & brilliantly directed by Sam Raimi, 'A Simple Plan' does an amazing job depicting the growing tension btwn. the various characters. The film is saturated with portentous atmosphere, edge-of-your-seat suspense & riveting tension. I don't think I have EVER been so tense in my life while watching this film in a theater. My stomach was literally in knots for most of the movie. It stirred me. THAT is what I'm looking for every time I watch a movie; and I seldom get it. But don't worry, there are a few light (even comedic) moments, as well; they are necessary to break-up the relentless bleakness of it all.
'A Simple Plan' also succeeds because of the cast. Billy Bob Thornton's Jacob may be slow, but he's certainly not as dull OR dumb as we think. He just nails this role. Bill Paxton is great as the straight guy who is 'supposed' to be reasonable & make sense. But just watch him erode as pressure & paranoia mounts. It's a great performance. And Bridget Fonda is stellar as the assumably doting wife who, before long, takes the reins from the three guys; for better or worse. We are drawn to these characters early on, the story draws us further, the ramifications of their actions (if they're caught) are on our minds constantly, & watching them fall prey to greed is something to behold. There are no fantastic set pieces, no special effects -- this is just an old-fashioned suspense thriller of the highest caliber.
Lou, always in financial debt, is desperate for his share. Jacob wants to restore his parents' farm, etc. Hank has never been at ease with the plan. Even the cunning Sarah is floundering. What once seemed to be a foolproof, straight-as-an-arrow plan now contains road bumps. Tiny accidents start piling up after an FBI agent comes to town searching for the missing aircraft. And the inter-personal relationships btwn. each person involved starts to dissolve. With each passing minute/hour/day they begin to doubt each other's trust. And one incident in particular leads to some shocking results.
Well-written by Scott Smith & brilliantly directed by Sam Raimi, 'A Simple Plan' does an amazing job depicting the growing tension btwn. the various characters. The film is saturated with portentous atmosphere, edge-of-your-seat suspense & riveting tension. I don't think I have EVER been so tense in my life while watching this film in a theater. My stomach was literally in knots for most of the movie. It stirred me. THAT is what I'm looking for every time I watch a movie; and I seldom get it. But don't worry, there are a few light (even comedic) moments, as well; they are necessary to break-up the relentless bleakness of it all.
'A Simple Plan' also succeeds because of the cast. Billy Bob Thornton's Jacob may be slow, but he's certainly not as dull OR dumb as we think. He just nails this role. Bill Paxton is great as the straight guy who is 'supposed' to be reasonable & make sense. But just watch him erode as pressure & paranoia mounts. It's a great performance. And Bridget Fonda is stellar as the assumably doting wife who, before long, takes the reins from the three guys; for better or worse. We are drawn to these characters early on, the story draws us further, the ramifications of their actions (if they're caught) are on our minds constantly, & watching them fall prey to greed is something to behold. There are no fantastic set pieces, no special effects -- this is just an old-fashioned suspense thriller of the highest caliber.