MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Neo-Noir Crime Thriller/Stars: Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Bridget Fonda, Brent Briscoe, Gary Cole, Jack Walsh, Chelcie Ross, Becky Ann Baker/Runtime: 121 minutes
If there was ever a list made of the most comedically erroneous statements that we as people tend to say more often than we realize, I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever that one of the top 5 phrases should without question be this: “don’t worry guys this is going to be so simple!” This is because if there is one thing that life has managed to teach me it’s either always pay your taxes on time or don’t talk to strangers. If there was a second thing that life has managed to teach me however it would be that nothing in life will ever go as simply as we would like for it to go. Indeed we might think that such seemingly routine and/or run of the mill things in our lives like driving to the grocery store, doing our job, or even attending a sports event with our friends will go off without a hitch and most of the time they typically do. Of course for all the times they do, we must also take into account the very real possibility that, among other potential scenarios, we might find ourselves stuck behind an overturned 18-wheeler with a gallon of ice cream in the back seat and no emergency vehicles in sight to bring this situation to an end anytime soon, working overtime because our co-worker significantly messed up a section of a group presentation that is happening the next day, or we find ourselves in the med clinic with our friend because a random hockey putt decided to leave the ice and make contact with their nose respectively as well. Thus with such seemingly ordinary events not even being immune to the potential for such downright chaos to occur and wreak havoc upon them can you even imagine how complicated things could get if you, your older sibling (should you have one), and one of their friends made an incredible discovery and decided to try and cover it up for your own financial benefit? Well fortunately dear reader you don’t have to! I say that because it is that very scenario that happens to be at the core of the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today in the form of 1998’s A Simple Plan. Indeed here is a film that might look like nothing more than a crime thriller about three men making a remarkable discovery and the ensuing fallout that comes about as a result of both their poor choices to say nothing of shifting levels of trust and honesty amongst each other. Yet whilst it is that, I also promise there is so much more to this film than meets the eye that it might have a few potholes here and there, but with the aid of potent work on both sides of the camera, A Simple Plan is also one taut and grim yet compelling gem about the impact the corrosive forces of greed and mistrust can have. Not just on the people around us, but on ourselves as well.
The plot is as follows: An adaptation of a 1993 novel of the same name by Scott B. Smith (who also penned the script for this film adaptation), A Simple Plan takes us to the rural locale of Wright County in Minnesota and quickly introduces us to our main hero, a guy by the name of Hank Mitchell. A guy who, among other attributes that you might find in a file on him if one existed, is a seemingly ordinary everyday chap who works as a mill in town’s head bookkeeper, due in no small part to being one of the few people in town who has graduated from college, has a loving relationship with his expecting wife Sarah who works as one of the town’s librarians, and who by and large is very much viewed as a warm and affable presence around town to the vast majority of people who know him. In other words: just a small-town guy making his way in the world around him to the best of his respective ability. Of course, it isn’t long before we see that small town “aw shucks” personality put to the test when, whilst out on New Year’s Eve with his developmentally challenged older brother Jacob and Jacob’s sole friend Lou (who incidentally is not exactly quiet about not being Hank’s biggest fan), the trio are run off the road by a pesky fox that has just made off with a hen from a nearby farmer’s henhouse. Yet upon the trio taking off after it into the woods with Jacob’s hunting rifle, we see them find something else entirely. That being what looks to be a crashed plane with, upon further inspection of the interior by Hank, a giant gym bag containing no less than 4.4 million dollars inside. Thus we soon see as, following some fast and furious discussion about what they should do with their new find, the trio manage to come up with a seemingly simple plan (hence the title of the story). That being to let Hank hang on to the money for all parties concerned until the plane has been discovered and then, should no one come a’calling for it, the trio will split the money three ways and then each will proceed to get out of town with their share of the loot as quickly as possible. Of course, as the old saying goes “sometimes the best laid plans of mice and men tend to go awry” and it isn’t long before we start to see some serious seeds (trying saying THAT 5 times fast) of doubt and deceit being planted here. Seeds that, by the time this story has concluded, will result in a bouquet of shocking violence and lies blossoming that very easily could change the lives of both the three men and everyone around them potentially forever…..
Now right off, it should be said that the work done by the various departments behind the camera on this film are fairly solid all things considered. This starts with the work done by Scott B. Smith on adapting his own novel for the screenplay here and honestly while it does make for a riveting thriller that is wonderfully realistic both in how portrays the characters as well as in the various double crosses/misdirections they invent to try and stay one step ahead of not just the law, but each other respectively there is one thing about it that I do have a bit of an issue with. That being that this story, in my opinion, doesn’t go quite as far as it should’ve. Yes, I get that Smith is trying to soften as much as he can the gut punches this particular story contains and I definitely respect him for that. Even so however, I still feel that the film would’ve been able to be a lot more impactful with what it is trying to convey about just how corruptive of an influence money can be on inherently good people had the main character been permitted to do some of the more twisted things he does in the book. With that being said though, there is no denying that the rest of the work done behind the camera is done incredibly well. For starters, I dig the work done at the helm here by Sam Raimi. Yes I know the vast majority of movie goers might know him for either his delightfully gonzo and over the top Evil Dead franchise or the superheroic-fueled shenanigans present in his Spider-Man movies. Even so however the fact remains that Raimi is a versatile talent at the helm and that is wonderfully exemplified here as we see that Raimi trades in the gore and web shooters for a film that is more restrained, more atmospheric, more character-centric and above all one that operates more in a semi-permanent vibe of dread and general unease than buckets upon buckets of blood respectively. Suffice it to say that he might not seem like the first director that you would think to handle a moody crime thriller like this one, but there is no denying that Raimi is nevertheless able to bring this film masterfully to life in a way that would make Scorsese, the Coen Bros., or even Hitchcock proud. Along with the skilled work by Raimi at the helm, this slice of cinema also features phenomenal work by Alar Kivilo (2000’s Frequency and 2007’s The Lookout among others) in the cinematography department. Indeed Kivilo does a masterful job of really capturing the frosty and wintery landscape in a way that at first really looks beautiful and feels tranquil only to then slowly but surely make it feel as ominous and desolate to us as an audience as it begins to feel to the characters themselves. Lastly, I would definitely be amiss if I didn’t take some time in this section to talk about the beautiful work done on this film’s musical accompaniment by the brilliant Danny Elfman. Indeed Elfman has long been a composer whose music I have admired and here he does a beautiful job at giving this film a score that is equal parts suspenseful and wistful. As a result, you are left on the edge of your seat to be sure, but you’re also left depressed and heartbroken as well. Suffice it to say that the script might not go as far with this particular story as it should have, but by and large there is no denying that the work done behind the camera is skilled and delivers exactly what a thinking thriller like this needs it to so it can operate at the fullest potential possible.
Of course, the other big element that definitely helps this slice of cinema work on the level that it manages to do immensely well would have to be courtesy of the performances given by the undeniably talented cast of players in front of the camera. Without a doubt, this starts with the late yet great Bill Paxton in the lead role of Hank Mitchell. Indeed Paxton does a phenomenal job at playing this guy who is, for all intents and purposes, a decent and upstanding individual only to have his own inherent greed get the best of him to such a tragic extent that we both feel for him and are revolted by him and his choices in equal measure. Far and away though, the best performance in this slice of cinema comes from none other than Billy Bob Thornton in the role of Hank’s brother Jacob. Indeed Thornton has long been an underrated talent in the land of movie magic and here he does a heartbreakingly wonderful job as this guy who, despite not having the breaks as most due to his distinct set of issues, still has the heart of a giant for the people in his life only to find himself being split on who really to back up in this rapidly melting away scheme cooked up by him, his brother, and his friend to say nothing of how to cope with the ever-rising amount of fallout that occurs as a result of said scheme. Indeed it truly is a soul-wrenching turn and one that Thornton plays beautifully right down to his final scene with Paxton that will definitely leave you holding back tears. Along with the wonderful work done by both Paxton and Thornton here, this slice of cinema also provides audiences with a solid (albeit slightly more low-key) effort from Bridget Fonda as Hank’s wife Sarah. Indeed Fonda does a terrific job here at giving us a woman who, when we first meet her, seems very satisfied and content with the life that she and her husband have managed to carve out for themselves only, with the appearance of this massive pile of money in her life, to slowly but surely showcase a side to herself that is infinitely craftier, sneakier, and even perhaps a bit more insidious than we might initially have thought possible from this character when we first met her. This also is what ultimately leads to a bit of dialogue between her and Paxton late in the movie that is not only a powerful and even brutally honest moment in the film overall, but also a wonderful reminder of the talent that Fonda was able to bring to a film during her (in my opinion) all-too brief career. Lastly, I think this section would definitely be amiss if I didn’t take some time to focus on the solid effort given here by the late Brent Briscoe in the role of Lou Chambers. Yes this character is one that is easily quite detestable, immensely annoying, and fairly despicable if I’m being honest. At the same time however, Briscoe also does a wonderful job of providing the character with a few moments of genuine humanity as well. As a result, yes by and large you don’t exactly care about this guy on the same level that you do the other main characters, but you also aren’t entirely sure on what exactly you would like to see happen to him as well thus raising the suspense present in the overall film immensely. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in solid efforts from such talents as Becky Ann Baker, Chelcie Ross, and a brilliant third act appearance from iconic character actor Gary Cole it’s clear that this movie might have some potholes along its cinematic path, but the work done by this cast definitely helps to make up for those.
All in all and at the end of the day is A Simple Plan a flawless and perfect in every way slice of cinema in general to say nothing of its respective genre of movie magic? Honestly no though that is one hurdle that the vast majority of movies aren’t able to overcome so that’s not exactly the worst thing in the world. With that being said, is this the worst slice of cinema since Sam Raimi made Spider-Man 3 back in 2007, Bill Paxton made that live-action Thunderbirds adaptation in 2004, Billy Bob Thornton did Bad Santa 2 in 2016, or Bridget Fonda thought 2001’s Monkeybone was a good movie to be a part of? Thankfully that is not the case though if I’m going to rewatch any of those it would honestly be either Spider-Man 3 or Bad Santa 2 depending on how much Bailey’s I have on hand at that particular point in time. Sarcastic observations aside though dear reader, there is no denying that I really dig the heck out of this particular slice of cinema. To be sure, it’s not going to be one that everyone is going to choose to sit down and watch let alone enjoy to say nothing of the miniscule collection of issues that are sprinkled in throughout this film’s 2 hours and 1 minute, including credits, runtime. With that being said, the work done behind the camera does a solid job at not only conjuring up for audiences a film made up of equal parts unease, suspense, and heartbreak, but also at giving us as an audience some truly thought-provoking material to seriously ponder upon long after the credits have begun to roll. Along with that, we are also treated to work done in front of the camera by an impeccably-chosen cast of talent that all manage to do a terrific job with their respective characters right down to making, by and large, them feel less like characters in a fictional story and more like real people we might encounter in our day to day lives no matter how big or small their overall amount of screentime may be. Thus, contrary to this slice of cinema’s title, A Simple Plan might by no stretch of the imagination may be even close to being simple, but if you are the kind of person who can get onboard with a complex and genuinely suspenseful morality tale like this then this is definitely one slice of cinema that you are sure to enjoy time and time again. Just don’t come up with any simple schemes involving stumbling upon a huge amount of money with both your siblings and/or friends before doing so. Trust me when I say that you’ll definitely be thanking me later. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give A Simple Plan “98” a solid 4 out of 5.
