A Simple Plan (1998)

Director: Sam Raimi

Starring: Bill Paxton, Bridget Fonda, Billy Bob Thornton, Brent Briscoe

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Sometimes good people do evil things.

Plot: Two brothers and a friend find $4 million in the cockpit of a downed plane. The pilot is dead. No one is looking for the money. To keep it, all they have to do is wait. IT ALL SOUNDED SO SIMPLE.

My rating: 9/10

Will I watch it again? Yup.

If you like movies where it keeps going from bad to worse for good people like I do then buckle up for one hell of a ride. It's the kind of constant "OH SHIT!" moments you get in the best of the Coen brothers like BLOOD SIMPLE (1984) and FARGO (1996). People have unfairly compared it to FARGO which is unfair because all it has in common is snow and a series of "OH FUCK ME!" scenes.


Sam Raimi made sure there wasn't a wasted moment on the screen and the performances are just wow, particularly Billy Bob Thornton. There's a scene where he confides in his brother, played by Bill Paxton, which feels all too real and heart-wrenching. Man, he's good. Danny Elfman delivers a good score and the ending is worth waiting for. It's an excellent film no matter how you slice it.