A Simple Plan 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

A Simple Plan 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 13, 2024

Maybe if Sam Raimi had called this film The Evil Living he might have found a larger audience than A Simple Plan was able to rustle up during its original theatrical exhibition in 1998. That lack of renown may be indicated by the fact that both the simultaneous 1080 and 4K UHD releases of this film by Arrow Video seem to be the first for Region A and Region B (both courtesy of Arrow's US and UK branches), though it looks like Germany got a 1080 release way back in the nascent days of the Blu-ray format in 2008. It may have been that some saw Raimi's name and just automatically assumed this would have the same levels of mayhem and cheeky humor that suffuse The Evil Dead Double Feature, and so were perhaps thrown off by the fact that this is most certainly a more deliberately sober morality tale that has undeniable echoes of (as the back cover of this release overtly states) The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, which the cover verbiage also identifies as Raimi's favorite film. This is therefore a study in the time honored dissection of "no honor among thieves", though kind of interestingly in that regard, for a moment at least, some may actually be rooting for three "everday" guys who stumble across a massive multimillion dollar fortune in cash inside a downed plane with a dead pilot inside.

It may not be completely weird to root for the focal characters in A Simple Plan, as the film's tag line was "sometimes good people do evil things". The "good people" in this instance are Hank Mitchell (Bill Paxton), his "slow" brother Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton, Academy Award nominated as Best Supporting Actor for this performance), and family friend Lou Chambers (Brent Briscoe), along with Hank's pregnant wife, Sarah (Bridget Fonda). When the three men more or less literally stumble on a downed plane in the Minnesota woods, and then further discover it holds an unbelievable amount of cash, they're suddenly confronted with how to handle the situation. After some discussion, Hank proposes keeping the money stowed until the spring thaw to see if once the plane is "officially" discovered, anyone will ask about the money. If not, Hank and the two others feel they've come into an unexpected windfall.

Of course, it's not long before suspicion and greed enter the fray, but I'd argue A Simple Plan perhaps makes the first of two similar mistakes right after the trio finds the cache (and/or cash, as the case may be). There in the isolated Minnesota countryside, for no discernable reason other than to put the guys into peril (one way or the other), the local sheriff (Chelcie Ross) just shows up out of nowhere, and the less than brilliant Jacob makes a stupid mistake in front of him. Later, something at least somewhat similar happens when a "red shirt" character wanders into the woods and is once again dealt with stupidly by Jacob.

It's in this particular plot development, and then a cascading series of killings that follow, that may bring to mind some of the calamitous body counts in Coen Brothers outings like that "other" film with 'simple' in its title, Blood Simple (though the film's snowy midwestern setting will also probably unavoidably recall Fargo). But as much as A Simple Plan eschews the above referenced cheeky humor of The Evil Dead, it also shows a similar lack of the kind of pitch black comedy often offered by the Coens. Instead things become more and more tragic, with characters hurtled headlong into a fate they've chosen for themselves but frankly can't control.

A Simple Plan becomes more and more viscerally gripping as it moves inexorably toward a kind of foregone conclusion, but the plot (with a screenplay by Scott B. Smith adapting his own novel) may rely a bit too much on convenient coincidence (as exemplified by those two unexpected appearances in the woods outlined above), as well as a certain feral ruthlessness that breaks out which would seem to contravene normal understandings of so-called "Minnesota nice" (and, yes, that's a joke). There's also a basic lapse of logic with regard to the plane crash itself, insofar as later revelations indicate it was figuratively if evidently maybe not literally on the radar of all sorts of people, which would seem to beg the question as to how it could have crashed unnoticed to begin with. If Thornton has the showier performance (or at least makeup and hairstyle), Paxton is arguably the emotional center of the film, and he is suitably anguished as he discovers the road to hell, in this case a rather snowy road, may indeed be paved with what were initially good intentions.

A Simple Plan 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: While this is a standalone 4K release without a 1080 disc, I am offering screenshots from Arrow's standalone 1080 release as I think it actually provides a better representation of the look of the palette in particular, rather than offering screenshots from the 4K disc which are by necessity downscaled to 1080 and in SDR. Because this release does not include a 1080 disc, the 2K video score above has been intentionally left blank.

A Simple Plan is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow provides the same insert booklet for both its 1080 and 4K UHD releases of the film, which includes the following information on the restoration:

A Simple Plan has been exclusively remastered by Arrow Films and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with its original 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo sound mixes.

The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K resolution and graded in SDR, HDR10, and Dolby Vision at Fotokem, Burbank.

Picture restoration was completed at Dragon DI, Wales.

This newly remastered presentation of A Simple Plan has been approved by director Sam Raimi.

While detail levels can show a noticeable if subtle improvement from Arrow's already excellent 1080 presentation (more about that in a moment), it's once again probably the palette reproduction and both improved contrast and highlights courtesy of HDR / Dolby Vision that may strike many eyes the most viscerally when comparing this to Arrow's 1080 presentation. I mentioned in the A Simple Plan Blu-ray review of Arrow's 1080 release how the glut of snowy scenes can give the perception of mostly neutral tones in the frame, making sudden "entrances" like Hank's poinsettia in an early scene all the more striking, and the deep red of that plant pops even more vividly in this version. Rather interestingly, the red pickup truck the brothers use has more of a crimson or even rusty look in the 4K version. Later scenes, like some of the interior scenes with Hank and Sarah in their home, have an almost teal hue that is not as pronounced in the 1080 version. HDR / Dolby Vision probably help to differentiate some of the white tones in the outdoor material and offer at least marginal improvements in shadow detail in some of the nighttime material, as when that pesky sheriff first unexpectedly shows up. Fine detail levels see some noticeable improvement in reproductions of some of the heavy fabrics characters wear to stave off the cold, as well as in close-ups of faces. Grain can occasionally be on the gritty side, as I also mentioned in the review of the 1080 version, and can occasionally swarm over brighter backgrounds in particular, but on the whole resolves without any issues. The emphasis on wintry environments in the bulk of the outdoor material perhaps leads to a somewhat neutral looking palette at times, but that arguably only makes sudden pops of bright color, like the poinsettia Hank carries in an early scenes look more vivid by comparison. There can still be just a slightly brown, dowdy look to some of the interior material in particular, but on the whole the palette is nicely suffused and natural looking. The weather effects may have been "manufactured" (as evidenced by shots of a snow machine in the behind the scenes featurette), but still look convincing throughout the many snowy outdoor vignettes. Fine detail on the heavy winter clothing and even snowflakes as they flood the frame is typically excellent. Grain can be a bit splotchy and yellow at times, especially during opticals, like the opening rather longish credits sequence. It can even look a bit on the gritty side when relatively tightly resolved, especially against some of the backgrounds featuring skies (see screenshot 1 for an example).

A Simple Plan 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

A Simple Plan features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 options. The surround track significantly opens up the wealth of ambient environmental effects throughout the many outdoor scenes, and even offers more directionality is some of the quieter dialogue moments, notably some of the moments between Hank and Sarah in their home. Danny Elfman's score also nicely engages the side and rear channels and provides a nice emotional bed for several scenes. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

A Simple Plan 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentaries

  Commentary by Glenn Kenny & Farran Smith Nehme

  
  

  Commentary by Patrizia von Brandenstein & Justin Beahm

• Of Ice and Men (HD; 8;18) is an interview with cinematographer Alar Kivilo.


• Standing Her Ground (HD; 6:23) is an interview with actress Becky Ann Baker.


• Dead of Winter (HD; 10:45) is an interview with actor Chelcie Ross.


• On Set Interviews

  Bill Paxton (HD; 3:49)

  
  

  Billy Bob Thornton (HD; 4:01)

  
  

  Bridget Fonda (HD; 2:24)

  
  

  Sam Raimi (HD; 6:04)

  
  

  James J. Jacks (HD; 1:07)

• Behind the Scenes (HD; 6:49)


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:23)

Additionally, this limited edition features a reversible sleeve and an illustrated booklet featuring writing by Bilge Ebiri and John Kenneth Muir. Packaging features a slipcover.

A Simple Plan 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For me personally, A Simple Plan doesn't quite deliver the gut punch it seems to be aiming for, but it certainly comes close, and the performances are uniformly interesting (even if Thornton is decidedly in Method mode). Technical merits are solid, with this 4K UHD release providing a more vibrant palette in particular when compared to Arrow's 1080 release. As usual Arrow has aggregated some really appealing supplements. Recommended.