Joel and Ethan Coen’s career-long darkly comic road trip through misfit America began with this razor-sharp, hard-boiled neonoir set somewhere in Texas, where a sleazy bar owner releases a torrent of violence with one murderous thought. Actor M. Emmet Walsh looms over the proceedings as a slippery private eye with a yellow suit, a cowboy hat, and no moral compass, and Frances McDormand’s cunning debut performance set her on the road to stardom. The tight scripting and inventive style that have marked the Coens’ work for decades are all here in their first film, in which cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld abandons black-and-white chiaroscuro for neon signs and jukebox colors that combine with Carter Burwell’s haunting score to lurid and thrilling effect. Blending elements from pulp fiction and low-budget horror flicks, Blood Simple reinvented the film noir for a new generation, marking the arrival of a filmmaking ensemble that would transform the American independent cinema scene.DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURESRestored 4K digital transfer, approved by cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld and filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrackOne 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special featuresConversation between Sonnenfeld and the Coens about the film’s look, featuring Telestrator video illustrationsConversation between author Dave Eggers and the Coens about the film’s production, from inception to releaseInterviews with composer Carter Burwell, sound editor Skip Lievsay, and actors Frances McDormand and M. Emmet WalshTrailersEnglish subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearingPLUS: An essay by novelist and critic Nathaniel Rich
T**
Great noise thriller
Great start for the Coen Brothers. Nice quantity of special features
C**N
Great introduction of the Coen Bros.
The packaging was delivered nicely.No broken case, no scratches, all good.A solid 4K transfer of an '80s crime-thriller gem.It's a dark crime story laced with the Coens' signature jet-black humor.
B**!
Amazing 4k transfer
Great treatment of an amazing film.
E**E
A dumpster burns in Texas
What a treat to rewind to the beginning of Coen brothers cinematography and see the snippets of genius that blossomed as they grew.I frequently get the impression this duo take characters out of Flannery O'Connor short stories as inspiration, then flesh them in regional noir dramas to great effect. Here, were in Texas, Fargo of course, exploiting the Upper Midwest. To my taste the northern vernacular makes for better embellishment, southern drawl being overdone, but that's not to disparage here, merely note I suspect the Coen's may have picked up on that themselves, and moved the Fargo setting up north for similar reasons.Here, we've got southern cultivated fields as effective venue for dramatic doings, but the vast winter landscapes of Fargo were a subtle improvement to cinematic maturity.This film is terrific, the characters wonderfully loathsome, and violence inspired filmmaking. It rates 4 stars only because we're privileged to 5 star options as the Coen brothers progressed, but anyone would be proud to take credit for this film, and audiences should love it.
B**E
The Coen Bros. FIRST feature release.
Great story. Classic Coen. Beautifully restored in 4K by Criterion.
W**N
... the Coen brothers - and I found it absolutely wonderful. The movie was a great thriller
I'd never seen this movie - the first by the Coen brothers - and I found it absolutely wonderful. The movie was a great thriller, and the Blu-Ray transfer was wonderful. But perhaps the greatest benefit was the very lengthy discussion between the Coen boys, and their cinematographer, about the making of it. The things that went well, and the things that didn't. To me, this is what the extras should be like - something to add to the viewing experience. Not a trailer, and certainly not what gets trotted out far too often - interviews with eveyone on the film saying how wonderful everyone else is. I can write these in advance - to me they add nothing to the movie watching experience. So, congratulations to Criterion. This is certainly a movie worth including in your library.
K**H
Criterion Again Does Right By The Brothers
You know the movie's reputation at this point, so should you get the new edition? Yes. Of course. Buy it now.The Criterion BLOOD SIMPLE has a fantastic 4K restoration of the film, an hour of telecined discussion about shot choices, lighting and visual storytelling with Barry Sonnenfeld and the Coen Brothers, a 45-minute discussion between the brothers and David Eggers and interviews with some of the cast. Hell, even Carter Burwell shows up to talk about how he composed his first film score!
D**D
The Coen Brothers at their very best!
This is the very first Coen Brothers film that I ever watched (on a big screen theater in San Francisco).I purchased this DVD for a Buddy for Christmas.He loved it, which is no surprise.IMHO, this is one of the very best Coen Brothers films, period.
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