Quoted as having a voice that is ‘undeniably and violently original’ the Coen Brothers have been letting us into their world of numbskulls, vivid dreams and eccentrics with names to match since 1984. Following a trend throughout their filmography, which usually involves a crime that goes horribly wrong, whether is it dark comedy as with Burn After Reading (2008) or of a more serious nature, such as No Country for Old Men (2007), the common thread that links their films together, along with the various uses of violence, are the genre twisted stories that the Coens create.
The Coens’ first feature film, Blood Simple, is tale of lust, revenge and miscommunication. Almost a B Movie with its simmering tale set in the heart of Texas. Painted as a treacherous place from the start, in the opening quote from the Private Investigator, the location already makes creates a sense of unease, readying for something ‘big’ to happen. Abby is having an affair with Ray, a bartender who works for her husband, Marty. Already suspicious of their affair, he hires Visser, a private detective, to follow them. Once the affair is confirmed with photographs, he hires Visser to kill both Ray and Abby.
Blood Simple illustrates the difficulty and dirty dealings of murder, proving that it is anything but simple. Even the genres in which the film would usually fall (thriller/crime drama) don’t apply as easily as just slapping a label on the cover. Part film noir, part horror and, also in part, black comedy, the Coens play with the identity of the film without losing sight of plot or falling into genric parody. Instead, they balance the hybrid modes to create a story that’s simple and yet complex. Playing with story elements, borrowing from film noir, such as Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice, Blood Simple twists these typical stories through the characters and the decisions they are driven to make, going ‘blood simple’.
The Coens’ use genre to create a story that is both familiar and unexpected at the same time. They said that they ‘didn’t want to make a Venetian blind kind of [detective] movie’ yet they are obviously influenced by film noir, which features this type of lighting. There is of course a detective, tracking down the lovers, solving a case, the cuckolded, suspicious rich husband and a thick atmosphere of doubt and lust in the air. The lighting, setting and tone of the story all to ‘typical detective story’, yet the players don’t fall into place. The detective, usually the ‘good guy’ wearing a white hat, isn’t what he seems. He follows the generic rules until he double crosses Marty over something petty: money. He’s killer, but only after he makes a mistake. The responsibility of ‘good guy’ falls squarely on Ray’s shoulders but, in theory, he isn’t one either: he has an affair with his boss’ wife, asks for money, then buries a man alive, but does so only after thinking Abby has killed Marty, which is his mistake. There is no femme fatale role in the story, either – Abby is just too clueless to take the initiative. Still, there is the question of her loyalty when Marty puts doubt in Ray’s mind, but Abby is oblivious, right up until the end when she says, “I’m not afraid of you, Marty,” and Visser answers back, “Well, ma’am, if I see him, I’ll sure give him the message.” It could be argued that Abby is the femme fatale of the piece, but only by default, as her own flaw is in being unable to communicate – all the men around her can but tend to die. The Coens’ favourite devices – a crime gone wrong, miscommunication and the age-old lust for violence – determine the fates of everyone in the story. This is because, at the start of the story, no one wants to kill but, by the end, they have all either killed someone or intended to.
In detective stories and most film noir, characters don’t go through an uplifting story arc. Instead, they come to the realization of their circumstance, or conclusion. But, in Blood Simple, the characters keep making mistakes, which is what drives the plot and each other’s actions forwards. Each character wants something and their selfish need is their ultimate their downfall.
Marty, driven my jealousy and anger, wants revenge on his cheating wife, going so far as to hire someone to kill her and her lover. Not wanting blood on his hands, he can’t do it himself, suggesting he is not ‘man enough’. His mistake is in trusting his wife in the first place and, again, in trusting Visser. Abby breaks his finger while beating him up, later noted by someone who refers to it as his ‘pussy finger’, further emasculating him. Marty is the desperate man who resists being made to look a fool but, as the only character to be murdered twice, is the joke of the film.
Ray is not the hero in this story. He doesn’t even manage to defend the woman he supposedly wants to be with – it is Abby who beats up Marty and kills Visser. Ray’s mistake is in thinking that Abby killed Marty and he doesn’t even think to ask her. Ray’s judgment is in question throughout, especially as it’s not entirely clear whether he loves Abby. He says, ‘I told you. I liked you,’ but love isn’t mentioned unless someone is scared. He questions Abby after he buries Marty and doubt starts to seep in, when she repeats what Marty says she’d say. But, as neither Abby nor Ray factor in Visser, he ends up dead, showing how unassertive he is.
Visser is the established detective, complete with voiceover and late night surveillance but he isn’t stereotypical. He seems like he’s going to be the voice of reason, like Tommy Lee Jones’ Sherriff Ed Tom Bell in No Country for Old Men, at the film’s outset but, by the time his story ends, he’s cackling into a pool of his own blood. His mistake is minor, leaving the cigarette lighter behind, but it’s one that has repercussions: foiling his plans and, ultimately, causing his death.
The Coen Brothers’ first feature is an introduction to their universe of violence mixed with comedy, crime and unique character names. Their ability to twist genres round their talented little fingers is the cornerstone of what makes their films stand out. Taking their influences, honouring them whilst still claiming them as their own, is what makes Blood Simple a stand out film.
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Originally written for Cinema Rediscovered in 2017 – also made as a Zine
