Blood Simple (1984) ****1/2

Slow burn neo-noir cooked to perfection. A pulpy thriller with oodles of suspense, elements of horror, and humor as dark as the masterful cinematography by Barry Sonnenfeld (looking delicious on The Criterion Collection’s 4K UHD). A quartet of wonderful performances. Immaculate sound design. A haunting, minimalist theme by Carter Burwell that, despite being repetitive, never outstays it welcome. So many details to delight in and it’s fun to spot the themes and stylistic choices that Joel and Ethan Coen would revisit throughout their filmmaking career. Blood Simple (1984), their first (of many) masterpiece(s), is one of the most impressive and assured debuts of any in cinema.  

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