Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Blood Simple Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 12, 2016

Joel and Ethan Coen's "Blood Simple" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include a collection of original trailers; new video interviews with actors Frances McDormand and M. Emmet Walsh; new filmed conversation with Joel and Ethan Coen and cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld; new filmed interviews with composer Carter Burwell and sound editor Skip Lievsay; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring Nathaniel Rich's essay "Down Here, You're on Your Own" and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"The world is full of complainers. But the fact is, nothing comes with a guarantee. Something can always go wrong."

If the great American directors from the 1940s and 1950s were still making film noirs during the 1980s, their work probably would have looked very similar to the Coen Brothers’ Blood Simple. This may sound like a bizarre speculation, but Blood Simple oozes the kind of special ambience present in many of the early film noirs that are now considered timeless classics.

The plot revolves around a couple of characters who are stuck in a rural town somewhere in Texas -- the owner of a small bar (Dan Hedaya, Commando), his bored wife (Frances McDormand, Fargo), her lover (John Getz, The Fly), and a fat man who makes ends meet as a private detective with a funny accent (M. Emmet Walsh, Blade Runner). They don’t necessarily like the place, but they all seem to have decent excuses that keep them there.

In the beginning of the film, the businessman gets a stack of pictures from the fat man confirming that his wife has been cheating on him. At first, he warns the fat man to get his money and never come back to his place, but later on changes his mind and offers to pay him even more if he gets rid of the two lovers. The fat man enthusiastically agrees to do the job and begins working on a perfect plan. Soon after, the businessman goes out of town for a couple of days and the fat man pulls out his old gun.

A brand new stack of pictures confirms that the unfaithful wife and her lover are dead. Money is again exchanged, but this time, before the fat man leaves the businessman’s office, he puts a few bullets in his chest. It is very late and there is no one around to hear the gunshots. The fat man then quietly disappears into the night.

This is where the film switches gears. Before the businessman is killed, it feels like it is going to be a conventional thriller about a jealous husband and the moral weight of his decision to get rid of his unfaithful wife. But the switch rearranges some key elements of the story in several very surprising, very effective ways. After that, the film quickly evolves into something of a noirish chess game, in which the viewer is basically left to guess what the Coens’ next move will be. (A minor spoiler: Their bag of tricks is very, very big).

The cast is wonderful -- and at least Walsh should have been nominated for an Academy Award -- but the film’s visual style is quite simply extraordinary. Barry Sonnenfeld, who later on went on to direct a number of huge blockbusters, does some absolutely incredible things with light, shadow and color that prove yet again that great films get made by people with great imagination and skills, not by astronomical budgets.

The film’s sound design is just as impressive. There are various sequences with very original and wonderfully timed effects that raise the intensity level in spectacular fashion. The original soundtrack is by Carter Burwell, who later on went to work with the Coens on a number of their bigger and commercially more successful films (Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, Fargo, The Big Lebowski).

Blood Simple Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Blood Simple arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K 16-bit on a Scanity film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Image Systems' Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, small dirt, grain, and noise reduction. The 5.1 track was supervised by sound editor Skip Lievsay. Additional restoration was performed by the Criterion Collection using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX.

Transfer supervisors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, David Diliberto, Lee Kline, Barry Sonnenfeld.
Colorist: Sheri Eisenberg/Deluxe, Culver City."

The new transfer is fantastic. The visuals are strikingly lush and boast a spectacular range of nuances and highlights that create a very special ambient atmosphere. Light and shadows are captured in a variety of different ways, but depth is consistently very pleasing. Perhaps the most impressive improvements are in the area of color reproduction. The primaries are very solid and incredibly well saturated, while the nuances are dramatically expanded. (This leads me to believe that a native 4K Blu-ray release of this film will probably look quite extraordinary). Definition, both during the daylight footage and the darker/indoor footage, is fantastic. There are no traces of problematic digital tinkering. Also, there are no stability issues to report. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Blood Simple Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

If you have seen this film then you already know that the sound design is quite remarkable. There are all sorts of surprising sounds and noises that raise the intensity level very well. The lossless track handles them as well as it possibly can. Clarity, sharpness, and depth are terrific, while balance is still very carefully managed. There are no audio dropouts, pops, cracks, or digital distortions to report.

Blood Simple Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers - in English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Find-raising trailer. (3 min, 1080p).
  2. Original Theatrical Trailer (2 min, 1080p).
  3. Rerelease Trailer. (2 min, 1080p).

• Filmmakers -
  
  1. Shooting Blood Simple - in this brand new featurette, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen and cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld recall how and where various sequences from Blood Simple were shot, how they tested various lighting options, and some specific ideas about the film's visual design before and during the shooting process. The featurette was produced in May 2016. In English, not subtitled. (71 min, 1080p).
  
  2. Conversation with Dave Eggers - in this new filmed conversation, writer/screenwriter/publisher Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, A Hologram for the King) discusses the difficult production history of Blood Simple and the professional career of directors Joel and Ethan Coen. The conversation was filmed in May 2016. In English, not subtitled. (35 min, 1080p).

• Actors -
  
  1. Frances McDormand - in this brand new video interview, actress Frances McDormand recalls how she was cast to play Abby in Blood Simple, which was her very first acting role, and explains how her personal life and career changed after the film was released. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in June 2016. In English, not subtitled. (26 min, 1080p).
  
  2. M. Emmet Walsh - in this brand new video interview, actor M. Emmet Walsh recalls how he became involved with Blood Simple, and discusses the character he plays, some of his unique 'hooks' that defined his acting style at the time, the film's tone and atmosphere, his interactions with Joel and Ethan Coen, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in June 2016. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080p).

• Sound and Music - in this brand new interview, composer Carter Burwell and sound editor Skip Lievsay discuss their professional relationship with Joel and Ethan Coen, which began with Blood Simple, and the importance of music and sound effects in their films. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in May 2016. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring Nathaniel Rich's essay "Down Here, You're on Your Own" and technical credits.

Blood Simple Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Joel and Ethan Coen's directorial debut, Blood Simple, is a very stylish piece of Americana that in certain ways remains their best work. (The two directors argue otherwise in one of the new featurettes that are included on this release, but I very much disagree). I find it incredibly entertaining and I think that Barry Sonnenfeld's lensing gives the film a very special noirish atmosphere. Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release is sourced from a top-notch new 4K master which offers a wide range of great improvements. As usual, the label has also included a great selection of new and informative supplemental features. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.