Simple Plan, A Released by:
Paramount Home VideoFeatures:
1998; 121 Min; Rated R ; Dolby Digital: 5.1 English; Dolby Surround: English; Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85).Extras:
Theatrical TrailerReview:
If you and a couple friends found four million dollars, buried under three feet of snow, in the middle of nowhere, what would you do? Would you keep it? Would you give it to the police? What would happen if you kept it? Who could you trust? And, to what lengths would you go to protect it? These are just a few of the questions that are asked in Sam Raimi's latest thriller A Simple Plan.The story begins when Hank (Bill Paxton), his un-employed brother Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton) and Jacob's friend, Lou (Brent Briscoe), hit a tree when trying to avoid hitting a fox. Jacob's dog, Marybeth, runs off after the fox into a nearby nature preserve and the three men run off after her. They make a shocking discovery, a crashed plane buried deep in the snow, with four million dollars inside.
Jacob and Lou want to keep the money, while Hank is, at first, apprehensive. Hank would rather leave it in the plane, or take to the police. Hank agrees to take the money, if he can keep it himself through the spring thaw. Jacob and Lou reluctantly agree. They also decide to wait until after the spring thaw to split up the money, in case anyone is actually looking for the missing money. The three swear not to tell anyone, but this does not last long.
After Hank return home, to his pregnant wife Sarah (Bridget Fonda), he proposes the essentially the questions listed above. Sarah comes up with an alternate plan for Hank to use. Take part of the money back to the plane, so no one suspects the rest is missing. She also worries that Lou, an alcoholic, wont keep his mouth shut. Many situations snowball together, and begin to tear all of the involved parties apart.
When watching this film, I was reminded of the Coen brother's Fargo, but A Simple Plan is much more serious. Sam Raimi effectively paces the film, there isn't one wasted frame of film. Raimi and his actors, especially Billy Bob Thornton, are able to express the dilemmas one would go through without wasting time on words. When Jacob reaches one of his crossroads, while sitting in a bar, you know what he must be thinking, yet Thornton doesn't say a word. All that is needed is Danny Elfman's terrific score, which builds tension throughout the film.
On the technical side, the film looks great. The anamorphic widescreen transfer looks good. The colors of the film are dank and subdued. Outside of the interior shots, the film almost takes on, for lack of a better phrase, a black and white quality. The sky is constantly grey with storm clouds, adding to the overall feeling of the film.
As for the audio, there isn't too much to it. Since this isn't an action flick, the surrounds are sparsely used. Besides Danny Elfman's score, the are some exterior scenes with great ambient sounds, such as crows cawing, wind and trees rustling. Every once in a while I did notice the dialogue was recorded a little low, but it was probably for effect.
When it comes to extras, well, we all know Paramount's track record. There was one trailer, and the menus were simply designed.
On a scale of 1 to 10, the movie ranks a 8.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this disc a 7 wtih no bonus biscuits.
Dan Linzmeier, FIT Productions
Fitprod@aol.com
Home
Reviews
Copyright 1999-2000, FIT Productions