A Simple Plan

I thought of many things - from the Coens' Fargo (and others) to Boyle's Shallow Grave... All the movies I can think of were better than A Simple Plan, though. If it weren't for Billy Bob Thornton, who handled a character that I could only imagine Steve Buscemi playing, I would take one more star away. The problem was that everything that happened in the film seemed so naive, unbelievable and poorly presented. From the crashed plane that nobody tries to find (but is cheerfully reported in the newspapers), to the individual murders and the fact that the cops didn't give a damn. However, Sam Raimi did his job, and the scenes in the snowy forest, watched by flocks of crows, had something to them... However, as with his The Gift, the script (almost) ruined everything. Two and a half. (16/11/2012)

As a kid from the younger generation, I had associated Raimi mainly with Spider-Man (I knew that there was some kind of The Evil Dead, of course, but I had no idea that it was one of Raimi's first pieces :)). And A Simple Plan is great in every way – the perfect atmosphere enhanced by Elfman's wonderful music, an elaborate script, and Billy Bob Thornton as the slightly slow Jacob was excellent, as were the rest of the cast. Raimi's amazing concept, a few chilling moments, and a truly "badass" (I had to use that word:)) ending ensure a truly extraordinary experience. (16/09/2009)

Sam Raimi has made a decent series of films, some of which benefit from the nostalgia of movie fans (The Evil Dead), some from his reputation as a commercially successful creator (Spiderman), but if I had to label a film that he truly succeeded at and is the pinnacle of his directorial efforts so far, then I would without hesitation point to A Simple Plan. Some compare it to Fargo, whereas I would rather use the analogy to Sidney Lumet's film Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, but in any case, it belongs to the same dark crime genre that transitions into top-notch psychological drama with well-developed characters and polished emotional scenes. The scenes in the sheriff's office, where the protagonist hunts down individual bullets, and later in the crashed airplane, where he tries to load them, are among those that I will hold in my memory of my best movie experiences, and the scene of the final execution reminded me of a similar tragic scene from Of Mice and Men. So what is the message of the film? When you find a bag full of money, try to be single if possible, or quickly hand over the money to the appropriate authorities. Otherwise, things will quickly start to go wrong and you won't want to see those consequences. Compared to Fargo, this film is somewhat less flashy, so don't look for any bodies in a woodchipper, but the ending is more acrid. The sad protagonist finds himself in a situation where he doesn't experience a terrible ending, but rather endless horror. Overall impression: 90%. (24/08/2011)

A tale of one smart and two dumber small-towners who can't resist the temptation to get rich quick in a beautiful winter landscape straight out of Fargo – But that's the end of any connection to the famous brand. Instead of cynical humour, there’s a real-life story about unfulfilled dreams, old wrongs and faith in a better tomorrow, accompanied by trite wisdoms of the type “less is sometimes more”, but they are delivered with such casualness and taste that they can be forgiven. The initially flat characters develop into full-fledged individuals whose fate will matter a lot in the finale. And Billy Bob Thornton is superb. (17/07/2017)

A tense and well-directed psychological game where you can never be sure what will happen in the next scene, let alone in the ending, which, by the way, is probably the best it could be. Given their diverse nature, it’s clear that the characters are going to have a hard time from the moment the money is found and the first disagreements about where to hide it begin. But what happens next is a joy to watch, both from a filmmaking point of view and from a purely realistic one – I had to ask myself several times, what would I do? Taking into account the excellent and heartfelt performances of Paxton and Thornton, I have to rank this film among the absolute top. (12/01/2012)