A Simple Plan
(1998)
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Sam Raimi breaks out of genre films with this tight, effective thriller. When two brothers, Hank (Bill Paxton) and Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton), and their friend Lou (Brent Briscoe), find 4.4 million dollars inside a crashed plane, they believe they've found the financial answer to all their problems. All they have to do is keep it a secret until the plane is discovered and any investigations are completed. This proves to be easier said than done, however, when the three men (as well as Hank's wife, Sarah, played by Bridget Fonda), each with their different reasons, begin to lose trust in the others. When an FBI agent comes to town, the tension becomes explosive resulting in deceit and, ultimately, murder. Raimi makes brilliant use of icy Minnesota locales. Thornton's performance was recognised by the Academy with a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The script, by Scott B. Smith from his own novel, was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. |
Shallow Grave meets Fargo in this thriller about the corrupting influence of greed from director Sam Raimi. Three men find a crashed plane in thick snow containing over $4 million and hesitantly decide to split the loot once they are sure they won't be suspected. Of course, everything that could go wrong, or might point the finger at their pact, does so in Raimi's grim fairy tale. Completely eschewing the frenetic approach of his Evil Dead work, Raimi comes up with a poetic suspenser that delves unassumingly into the cryptic regions of human nature. The uneasy mood is underscored by two marvellous performances from Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton (Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated for this role) as the two brothers in the pledge triangle.
Halliwell's Film Guide
A deft, chilling thriller of corruption and greed, charting an inexorable slide from integrity to betrayal and worse.