DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM THE WRITINGS OF JAMES M. CAIN, THIS SELF-REFLEXIVE FILM NOIR PUT THE COEN BROTHERS ON THE MAP.
In a world where ‘something can always go wrong’, the boiling heat of Texas provides the perfect backdrop for a twisted tale of murder and misunderstanding, as bar-owner Marty (Dan Hedaya) hires a seedy gumshoe (M. Emmet Walsh) to exterminate his wife and her lover. Provided with evidence of the done deed, Marty soon finds himself the victim of violence as the plot plummets into a whirlpool of double-crossings and deceit.
As well as introducing the theme of non-communication which features in much of the Coens’ subsequent work, Blood Simple is also notable for an extraordinary set-piece of a man suffering a painfully slow death before the camera. It’s a startling debut.