Blood Simple [DVD] [1983]

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Total RRP: £49.97
Price For All Three: £14.94

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• This item: Blood Simple [DVD] [1983] DVD ~ John Getz

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• Miller's Crossing [1990] [DVD] [1991] DVD ~ Gabriel Byrne

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• The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) [DVD] DVD ~ Billy Bob Thornton|Frances McDormand|Michael Badalucco|Adam Alexi-Malle

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Amazon.co.uk Review
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

Amazon.co.uk Review
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, Amazon.com

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Miller's Crossing [1990] [DVD] [1991] DVD ~ Gabriel Byrne 4.5 out of 5 stars (31)  £4.98

The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) [DVD] DVD ~ Billy Bob Thornton|Frances McDormand|Michael Badalucco|Adam Alexi-Malle 4.3 out of 5 stars (19)  £4.98

Barton Fink [DVD] [1991] DVD ~ John Goodman 4.2 out of 5 stars (9)  £4.08

Fargo (Special Edition) [1996] [DVD] DVD ~ Frances McDormand 4.5 out of 5 stars (57)  £3.87

No Country For Old Men [DVD] [2007] DVD ~ Tommy Lee Jones 3.3 out of 5 stars (168)  £4.97

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12 Reviews 5 star:  (6) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:  (2) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review 3.9 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   43 of 44 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars a real masterpiece... even better than "Fargo", 26 Jul 2006 By  H. Serkan SILAHSOR (Ankara, TURKEY) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    I watched this movie three times and really liked it. Coen Brother's cinematic debut is a wonderful example of how to let the pictures tell most of the story. In essence, the story is real simple: A greasy and sleazy bar owner hires an even sleazier private eye to kill his wife and her paramour. But things do not turn out quite as planned. There are enough twists and turns to keep a viewer guessing even after the movie is over. Especially, second part of the movie is a first-grade thriller with violent, bloody, suspenseful, and endless twists. The last word: an absolutely fantastic film - one of the best I have ever seen. Dark entertainment at its best! Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   11 of 11 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Blood simple is........... the work of pure genius!, 20 April 2001 By A Customer This review is from: Blood Simple [VHS] [1983] (VHS Tape) This is the perfect example of a totally underrated masterpiece! Less obvious comic than the Coen's susequent films, this has a degree of beyond-black humour, but is mostly a study of the way things go wrong when people don't use their heads. "Who looks stupid now?" is an appropriate send off line delivered from a murderer to a victim, as all the dumbness naturally leads to death. This has everything that a good film must have; a good story, good direction, good acting, great music and enough twists to keep the jive bunny happy! The razor-sharp debut of Oscar nominated Joel and Ethan Coen will have you on the very edge of your seat. This is a great film and is definately one of the best crime films ever made....ever. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   35 of 38 people found the following review helpful: 2.0 out of 5 stars Great Movie poor DVD, 26 Feb 2001 By A Customer Blood Simple is a truly great noir movie. It is a movie to be savored not only for its story but for the intricate and clever cinematography that matches its dark plot and setting. The current DVD was truly an unworthy effort. This is a smokey dark movie. The many night scenes are marred by graininess. Anyone who remembers the vibrant colors and clarity that characterized the film's recent re-release director's cut in the theaters last year will be sorely disappointed with this DVD. But the biggest travesty is that it is pan and scan only. This is a a movie that uses negative spaces and the width of the screen to establish relationships and set mood. You can't just whack it off picture elements in this movie and get the emotional spectrum Blood Simple delivers. At least the British have produced a DVD. Where is Universal's print? It kills me they are nowhere in producing a worthy DVD that finally gives this film the treatment it deserves? Blood Simple was re-released last year this is the time to strike while the film is still fresh in the memory of it many fans. Sadly I do not see anything in the works. While this would be an ideal film for Director's I would settle for a good print with widescreen. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 12 customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 3.0 out of 5 stars thematic art If you got a lot out of "A Simple Plan" or "Fargo" watching this will make you realise that although the Coen Bros know how to entertain, they know how to string out a story... Read more Published 7 days ago by Harry Nicholas 5.0 out of 5 stars a glimpse of the future I saw this film first time round in 1984 and have only just seen it a second time. There are many echoes of Fargo and No Country For Old Men and gripping tension throughout as the... Read more Published 16 months ago by the scribbler 5.0 out of 5 stars Watch this film!!! Probably the darkest Coen Brothers film, and in my opinion, the best next to Fargo. The preformances are spot on but the best thing here is the fantastic dialoge. Read more Published on 13 May 2006 by O. Frawley 3.0 out of 5 stars Did do better The Coen Brothers first film has few of the surreal characters and inspired comedy which characterized their later works, and although it has some deeply black humour its... Read more Published on 8 May 2006 by J. S. Meins 5.0 out of 5 stars Macabre, even for Texas Even though there may be one or two instances where the squeamish will want to avert their gaze, they'll still be mesmerized by BLOOD SIMPLE until the last drip of gore. Read more Published on 7 Jan 2006 by Joseph Haschka 4.0 out of 5 stars GOOD - ONCE YOU'RE IN THE COEN MINDSET I would not recommend this film as an introduction to the Coen Brothers. They have since made many a film more suited to the novice Coener (I would recommend Fargo particularly,... Read more Published on 14 Jul 2004 by filthmonkey 5.0 out of 5 stars buy it region 1! Yes this is a great film, and especially when considering it as a debut(although it is actually one of the last of the Coen Brothers' films Isaw). Read more Published on 20 April 2004 by Pieter Hounslow 1.0 out of 5 stars Good film, Bad DVD. Great Coen Brothers film, but unfortunately a poor DVD. I was very disappointed to discover that this film is not in widescreen, but a poor 4:3 version taken from what looks like... Read more Published on 6 Jan 2001 4.0 out of 5 stars Deceit, suspense, sore hands... The Coen Brothers' first film has a very low budget feel to it and does not immerse the viewer in its fictional world to the same extent as their other pictures. Read more Published on 6 Oct 2000 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 12 customer reviews...

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