Very Cool!!!

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Crime doesn't pay, and money is the root of all evil. There are countless stories of people who forsake such principles and venture down a dark, destructive path, but none quite so biting and tragic as Sam Raimi's A Simple Plan. What haunts the viewer so much is not the fact that these characters suffer through horrific turmoil resulting from the promise of money, it's that these are nice, good natured, everyday folks. These are the people next door, the blue collar, salt of the earth Americans, and it's harrowing to see the downward spiral they fall headlong into. Bill Paxton is the mild mannered hardware store owner, Billy Bob Thornton his unemployed, dimwitted brother and Bridget Fonda his wife. Three regular people who could be any of us, until they find the money. Out in a snowy rural landscape, millions of dollars in cash is discovered by them, and that's where the trouble begins. The three go to great lengths to keep their secret hidden from the local authorities, and eventually become paranoid, deceitful and hostile towards each other, leading to some truly heartbreaking outcomes. It's not enjoyable watching these poor people go through this, because this isn't some exploititive crime genre exercise. Although shades of noir are present, this film is set in the real world where human beings are neither good nor bad as a template, but have complex capacity for great evil or compassion. When something like the money gets in the way, though, that potential for malicious behaviour is dialed up considerably, and the resulting calamity looks something like what we see here. What's scary about the whole thing is that it's essentially their own fault; yes, the money turned up, and yes, its presence is what drives this wedge among them, but the money isn't sentient, it doesn't wish ill will, it's simply *there*, leaving the characters to make decisions regarding it, decisions which in this case lead to their despairing downfall. What's more, money is our own creation, not some outside influence eating away at them. This is surprising output for Raimi, who is the guy we know for rambunctious horror and genre pulp, but he shows a skilled and subtle hand with the down to earth material, letting his story be a window into a cold world of feverish greed, a world where plans are, in fact, anything but simple.

The setting of rural snow-locked Minnesota is established early. Foxes and chickens of the land flash across the screen, much like the ill omen of the raven does later on when these simple lives come across a stash of 4.4 million. Hank and his dimwitted brother Jacob and friend Lou set off into the snow to hunt for this fox. It is a shame that there is not a greater sense of community instilled into the setting as a small rural town would have, because we then have to rely on the performance of Paxton and the words of his wife when she says that he is a good man, and no one would ever believe him to be a murderer. The actors do a great deal of the lifting. There is natural conflict between their demeanours, and that is escalated when they come across the crash site. We are led to believe that Hank is a man of good moral standing and virtue. Not many would say no to millions, but he initially does, and has to be coaxed. His wife also does, giggling at what is a clearly impossible occurrence and adamantly stating that it would be stealing and the wrong thing to do. Their life is fine, and comfortable. Later on, her teary eyed monologue demolishes that notion, but the great strength of these characters is that we are able to sympathise and understand both scenarios and their merits, and how money has twisted their expectations. Fonda's performance is fantastic; almost as soon as she sets sight on the pile of cash, the gears begin to turn in her head and she descends into a path of action that will leave her family for the better. Hank lets the air out of a tire with a cheeky smile, and the brothers chuckle at their little deception, not even considering what they will be capable of later. The other great performance belongs to Billy Bob Thornton, whom is initially regarded as dumb and incompetent by both audience and older brother. He blurts out guilty clues and in panic whacks a man in the head, but unlike Hank, these acts aren't cold and calculated, but acts of desperation and motivation to protect his brother (who by all accounts shares no sincere feelings of affection, but only a last name). In one confrontation, there are two levels of pretense happening, the drunken ramblings of Lou, and the battle between the two brothers as they argue over the morality of framing him for the murder, and it becomes a tense see-sawing of his affiliation. Hank tries to appeal by bringing up their deceased father, and Jacob brusquely and rightfully shuts him down. In a later moment, he soberly reminisces on a a prank played on him by his high school 'girlfriend' (and again we see how out of touch Hank is with his brother) and Jacob makes it heartbreaking because of how easy he seems to take it, and how there are no hard feelings. Thornton is much like his dog; loyal, and sometimes dumb, but it is via the good of his heart. And we see in this monologue just how little he lives for, and that gives us a little solace when his end comes. The Coens gave tips to Raimi on how to film in the snow, based on their experiences with Fargo. They are similar in many ways; both are about the greed and desire for monetary wealth, and how it warps people into doing despicable things. It is not as perfect as Fargo; in the latter the snowy setting is a character in itself, tripping and hindering and being admired all at the same time. The closest A Simple Plan gets would be the shot of the four diverging footprint paths in the snow, which signalled ominous danger up ahead. When has splitting up ever been a good idea? And I think in the tensest scene in the office, where a pleading Fonda on the phone offers no comfort as Hank is trapped in between two unsuspecting people, with guns. The best thing this film does is shepherded us alongside these characters, because no one can resist the allure of so much money. We yell and become frustrated when Jacob gives away the sighting of the plane, and shake our heads as the murders pile up, but still hope that the money remains unscathed, even as the family is corrupted. There is a real life parallel to this, in the alarming occurrence of lottery winners being bankrupt a few years on. How peaceful would their lives have been if that plane had never been uncovered? The damning of Hank and Sarah is so great that I do not think the script needs to further deal a cruel blow to them, by revealing that the bills were indeed marked (in addition to the logical explanation of this being so ridiculously and logistically impossible - how the hell does writing down thousands of serial numbers enable you to track bills). They have been punished enough, and dealt a harsh lesson.

Hard to find any real faults with this movie, beyond the fact that it's a bit grim. Of course, you know from the very beginning when they find the money that it isn't going to work out well--the only question is how it is going to go bad--I don't want to say anything else to spoil the movie.Everything about this movie, from the filming to the acting to the plot, is strong. Yes, most of the characters annoy you or seem stupid or both, but they do so in a believable fashion and that is why we have a story--otherwise it would have been "happily ever after" very quickly and we would have no movie or morality play, and there would be nothing to discuss. After all, we can assume that we never actually hear about the smart criminals, and the dumb ones make for the best stories anyhow.

Sam Raimi's A Simple Plan works – just. There's no denying it's a gripping thriller, but it lacked one element which could have made it not just a good film – which it is – but a great film: the characters from the off are too sketchily drawn. We don't get to know them before it all kicks off and so their development – and the story's development – is taken more on trust than it should be. That's it really. Should you see it? Certainly, and you will not be disappointed. It's just that I feel it doesn't quite hang together as well as it might have done had the film been just a little longer with opening scenes establishing the four main characters more.