Blood Simple

Last night I saw the Coen brothers' first film Blood Simple, well, maybe for the fourth time. It's an excellent film - a fitting tribute to film noir or maybe more to noir paperbacks of the fifties and sixties. The story resembles books by such writers as Harry Whittington and Gil Brewer very much. Too bad there's not a novelization of Blood Simple. It's never too late! (A British paperback publisher ordered novelizations of old Disney films and horror classics in the seventies, so why couldn't the same thing happen again?)

There's much to like in the film. I love Barry Sonnenfeld's photography, with smoke rings reflecting blue neon lights. I love the characters and actors, Dan Hedaya and Frances McDormand. We're never told much about them, but still we know who they are and where they come from. Someone should write a book about Loren, the private eye of the film, played by the great M. Emmet Walsh - he must've had some interesting cases. But especially I love how the audience is kept at the edge of their seats: the Coens never tell what's going to happen or even what's happening. Important story points come only later. And it's done with great verve.