Search form

A SIMPLE PLAN (1998) (****)

Check Out the Trailer

Sam Raimi broke out as a director with his cult horror flick EVIL DEAD and went on to bring the SPIDER-MAN franchise successfully to the big screen. However, his most mature and accomplished film came with this simple thriller that turns out to be anything but simple. With two Oscar nominations for Scott B. Smith's screenplay and Billy Bob Thornton's supporting performance, A SIMPLE PLAN is not only one of the premiere films of 1998, but the 1990s as well.

Hank Mitchell (Bill Paxton, ALIENS) is a happily married man whose wife Sarah (Bridget Fonda, POINT OF NO RETURN) is expecting their first child. He works at a farm feed shop and still has to look after of his unemployed older brother Jacob (Thornton, SLING BLADE). One night on the way home with Jacob and his brother's best friend Lou Chambers (Brent Briscoe, MULHOLLAND DR.), they find a crashed plane in the woods. Inside they discover a bag with more than $4 million. After some hesitation, Hank agrees to hold onto the money until they feel that no one will come looking for it, then split it up and move out of town. In contrary to the title, the money will create great problems within the threesome, as well as from outside forces.

Smith's tightly woven script, which was based on his own novel, establishes the characters quickly and allows their actions, both expected and unexpected, to move the story along. As the situation gets more and more complicated, we learn more about the characters, especially their buried dreams and resentments, which puts many of their actions into perspective. Hank is a pleaser who needs to be accepted. Jacob is smart, but naïve and impetuous. Lou is a desperate slacker, who takes pride in being called the town drunk. Sarah is a sweet librarian on the surface, who has shades of Lady Macbeth lying within her. Even Sheriff Carl Jenkins (Chelcie Ross, THE GIFT), a character demanded for by the genre, is given more depth than a stereotypical small town cop cliché.

Paxton has an everyman quality that fits his role perfectly. Thornton, however, excels as Jacob. It is key that we understand his actions while retaining our sympathy. Thornton could have made him a bumbling fool, but that would have been boring and unbelievable. There is a fine line between naivety and stupidity and Thornton gets it pitch perfect. Additionally, Briscoe, who is a face you will recognize from many films, brings a believability to a character we have seen before. Smith gives him a few key moments to bring a fuller picture of the character to life and he hits the right notes each time.

The money really serves as a catalyst that brings buried issues between the various characters to the surface. One could say that there are several big reveals in the film, some are plot, but the more shocking ones are when unspoken feelings come to light. Like a Hitchcockian thriller, all action is character based. Many complications will change the course of the story and with each new twist we learn more about the characters, as well as the dark side of human nature. When Hank first brings home the money, he hypothetically asks his wife what she would do if she found $4 million. The film asks us what we would do as it moves from one moral crossroad to the next. It's a gripping journey that never fails to surprise.

Rick DeMott's picture

Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks