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MONEY
Did you know
Shot for just $1.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
Blood Simple
"Passion led to Adultery. Adultery led to Murder. It all seemed so simple..."
1984 1h 37m EN
👍
7.2
SOLID
🔥
94%
CERTIFIED FRESH
💯
84
METACRITIC
⭐
7.5
IMDB
★7.2TMDB · 1,695🍅94%Rotten Tomatoes●84Metacritic★7.5IMDB · 115,011
CrimeDramaThriller
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
The owner of a seedy small-town Texas bar discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife. A chaotic chain of misunderstandings, lies and mischief ensues after he devises a plot to have them murdered.
“Passion led to Adultery. Adultery led to Murder. It all seemed so simple...”
Where to watch · US
Cast
John Getz
Ray
Frances McDormand
Abby
Dan Hedaya
Julian Marty
Samm-Art Williams
Meurice
M. Emmet Walsh
Private Detective
Deborah Neumann
Debra
Raquel Gavia
Landlady
Van Brooks
Man from Lubbock
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Joel Coen
- Writers
- Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
- Languages
- English
- Countries
- United States of America
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
ERA
Did you know
42 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Joel Coen, shot by Barry Sonnenfeld. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Carter Burwell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Ethan Coen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
CAST
Did you know
John Getz and Frances McDormand and Dan Hedaya carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
FACT
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "Passion led to Adultery. Adultery led to Murder. It all seemed so simple...".
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt0086979 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Joel Coen directs. Barry Sonnenfeld behind the camera. Carter Burwell scores. Ethan Coen cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 1Shot for just $1.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
- 242 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
- 3Directed by Joel Coen, shot by Barry Sonnenfeld. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 4Original score by Carter Burwell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 5Editor Ethan Coen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 6John Getz and Frances McDormand and Dan Hedaya carry the top of the cast.
- 7Marketing tagline: "Passion led to Adultery. Adultery led to Murder. It all seemed so simple...".
- 8IMDB entry: tt0086979 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 9Classified under 13 themes, including "husband wife relationship", "boss", "texas", "lover".
- 10Released under 13 different titles around the world.
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Barry Sonnenfeld
- Original score
- Carter Burwell
- Editing
- Ethan Coen
- Production design
- Jane Musky
- Costume design
- Sara Medina-Pape
- Makeup / hair
- Paul R. Smith
- Sound
- Mel Zelniker
- Runtime
- 97 min · 1h 37m
- Aspect ratio (typical)
- 1.37:1 (Academy)
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $1,500,000
- Box office
- $4,229,114
- Return
- 282% of budget
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- R
- Rotten Tomatoes
- 94% 🍅 Fresh
- Metacritic
- 84/100
- IMDB rating
- 7.5/10 · 115,011 votes
- MPAA
- R
Awards
5 wins & 7 nominations total
- Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Award
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.
Also by
Joel Coen
Stills · wallpapers
Selected frames
Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Production companies
Who made it
- RI
River Road Productions
US
- FO
Foxton Entertainment
US
Key crew
- EditorEthan Coen
- ProducerEthan Coen
- Focus PullerDavid J. Frederick
- Art Department AssistantDave Pearce
- Production AssistantMelanie Hecht
- Special Effects CoordinatorLoren Bivens
- Clapper LoaderDon Kirk
- Key GripTom Prophet Jr.
- Editorial ConsultantEdna Ruth Paul
- Production AssistantAdam Smith
- Production AssistantTom Martin
- Wardrobe AssistantChelle Coleman
- Set DresserNancy Griffith
- Art Department AssistantMichael Peal
- Third Assistant DirectorShannon Wood
- Photo RetouchingDavid Wander
- Production AssistantDarrell Kreitz
- Property MasterShirley Belwood
- Best Boy GripRichard Creasy
- Art Department AssistantJeffrey Michael Adams
- GafferJoey Forsyte
- Music ProducerMurri Barber
- Casting AssociatePeter Golden
- Production AssistantDavid McGill
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- husband wife relationship
- boss
- texas
- lover
- employee
- money
- killer
- double cross
- extramarital affair
- shallow grave
- private detective
- hired killer
- neo-noir
Release history · US
When it landed
- Premiere1984-10-12· New York Film Festival
- Theatrical1985-01-18R
- Theatrical1984-03-26· USA Film Festival
- Theatrical2000-06-02R· Los Angeles, California & New York City, New York (Director's Cut)
- Theatrical2000-07-07R· Director's Cut
- Physical2001-09-18R· DVD
Also known as
International titles
- Sang pour sangFR
- Blood Simple.US
- Проста кръвBG
- Triángulo de sangreCO
- Blood Simple.FI
- Blood Simple.FR
- Το τέλειο έγκλημαGR
- BérgyilkosHU
- Blood Simple: The ThrillerJP
- Просто кровьSU
- Sang fàcilES
- Blood Simple - Blut für BlutDE
- Krvavo jednostavnoYU
