A Simple Plan (1998) was based on a novel by Scott B Smith and was directed by Sam Raimi. I'm not really a Raimi fan, I don't like the Spiderman movies, Evil Dead was a bit 'meh', but I did enjoy The Quick and the Dead and even For Love of the Game, surprisingly.
A Simple Plan sees Hank Mitchell (Bill Paxton), his brother Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton) and Jacob's friend Lou stumbling across a small plane that has crashed not far outside the small town which they live in. It is around new year and the area is covered with thick snow so the plane hasn't been found by anyone else. When they go inside they find a dead pilot and a bag containing more than $4 million in hundred dollar bills.
They decide to split it but in order not to get caught, Hank takes it with him to hide until spring, when the plane is discovered and then, if it is safe, they will take their share and leave town. Hank and Lou don't get on too well and so there is distrust straight away from Lou, but Hank says that's the only way he'll do it or he'll burn the money or hand it in.
After counting it and loading it in the truck, they see a car approaching which happens to be Sheriff Jenkins. Jacob accidentally asks 'did you mention the plane?' in front of the sheriff. Now Jacob isn't the brightest of guys, he gets nervous easily, not exactly the looker of the year either. After making an excuse of saying they heard a plane that may have had engine trouble, the sheriff leaves.
Hank brings the money to his expecting wife Sarah (Bridget Fonda) who at first says they can't take it, but soon changes her mind that night in bed after obviously thinking about it all evening. She schemes and tells Hank to put about half a million back so that when the plane and money is found people may not look for any more. He goes back the next day with Jacob as lookout, but without Lou knowing about it. On his way back from the plane he sees old man Dwight on a snowmobile talking to Jacob. As he approaches he's muttering 'don't do anything stupid Jacob'. Well, obviously Jacob didn't hear that as he introduces Dwight's head to a crowbar, presumably killing him.
Hank drives the body on the snowmobile to hide the body when Dwight suddenly wakes up telling Hank to get the police to get his brother. Hank smothers him to protect Jacob and then rides the snowmobile off a bridge to make it look like an accident. When Jacob panics and wants to confess what he did, Hank tells him that it was he who had killed Dwight when he woke up.
'I said smother him with your love...not glove'
As the winter goes on, things get harder for the three guys. Hank is worried that Jacob may do something foolish again, Lou is worried that Hank will betray them and keep the money for himself. Lou goes over and asks for his share and when Hank refuses Lou tells him that his brother had told him all about what had happened to the old man and will tell the sheriff.
The second half of the story involves Hank and Sarah scheming to protect themselves against Hank and from being found out about the money at all, Sarah suggests getting Lou drunk and recording him falsely confessing to murdering the old man. The first part of the plan goes well until Lou finds out, not only Hanks plot, but also that his friend Jacob has betrayed him. Things get really ugly when, whilst defending his brother, Jacob shoots Lou (his only friend) and then Hank has to kill Lou's wife when she tries to kill him.
Hank and Jacob have little time to come up with a story to convince the sheriff that they are innocent, not to mention the new complication of an FBI agent who has arrived looking for a plane and been told that Hank had heard one in trouble not long ago.
Can Hank get the law off his back? Can he prevent his brother do any more stupid things? Is this FBI agent to be trusted at all?
I really enjoyed watching this movie again, it is effective from the start as it immediately draws the audience into asking themselves what they would do, and how they would get away with it. Then, as it development unfolds we are left wondering how they can possibly carry on.
Billy Bob Thornton, who is always good at playing these rolls, is perhaps the standout in this movie. His character Jacob is a bit of a fool, but has some good sense at times and even knows a few home truths that Hank doesn't. His tendency to panic threatens to ruin their plans several times, which puts the audience on edge as to what he might do next. He's also a guy you can feel sorry for, he's alone apart from his brother and his only friend. He's also guilt ridden by what he has done to the old man, and then to Lou and struggles to come to turns with it all.
The wife, Sarah, is also very interesting. She doesn't want the money at first but very quickly changes her mind and then also begins to come up with plans to help themselves, she becomes so involved that she excuses Hank's killing of Dwight and tries to set up Lou.
This movie is 2 hours long and it is enjoyable throughout and looks great filmed in the snowy countryside and small town. There are several developments to push the story along. Most characters go through a change of opinion on what to do with the money, you're not sure whether there will be any betrayal or not and you're constantly wondering how they are all going to get away with this as things steadily spiral out of control.
This is definitely worth 2 hours of your time.
Best Line:
Do you ever feel evil?
Star Turn:
Billy Bob Thornton; creepy,unsettling, dangerously thoughtless, capable of anything
Best Moment:
Hank unsure of the FBI agent
A Simple Plan sees Hank Mitchell (Bill Paxton), his brother Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton) and Jacob's friend Lou stumbling across a small plane that has crashed not far outside the small town which they live in. It is around new year and the area is covered with thick snow so the plane hasn't been found by anyone else. When they go inside they find a dead pilot and a bag containing more than $4 million in hundred dollar bills.
$4.4 million, not bad for a walk in the woods
They decide to split it but in order not to get caught, Hank takes it with him to hide until spring, when the plane is discovered and then, if it is safe, they will take their share and leave town. Hank and Lou don't get on too well and so there is distrust straight away from Lou, but Hank says that's the only way he'll do it or he'll burn the money or hand it in.
After counting it and loading it in the truck, they see a car approaching which happens to be Sheriff Jenkins. Jacob accidentally asks 'did you mention the plane?' in front of the sheriff. Now Jacob isn't the brightest of guys, he gets nervous easily, not exactly the looker of the year either. After making an excuse of saying they heard a plane that may have had engine trouble, the sheriff leaves.
Hank brings the money to his expecting wife Sarah (Bridget Fonda) who at first says they can't take it, but soon changes her mind that night in bed after obviously thinking about it all evening. She schemes and tells Hank to put about half a million back so that when the plane and money is found people may not look for any more. He goes back the next day with Jacob as lookout, but without Lou knowing about it. On his way back from the plane he sees old man Dwight on a snowmobile talking to Jacob. As he approaches he's muttering 'don't do anything stupid Jacob'. Well, obviously Jacob didn't hear that as he introduces Dwight's head to a crowbar, presumably killing him.
Hank drives the body on the snowmobile to hide the body when Dwight suddenly wakes up telling Hank to get the police to get his brother. Hank smothers him to protect Jacob and then rides the snowmobile off a bridge to make it look like an accident. When Jacob panics and wants to confess what he did, Hank tells him that it was he who had killed Dwight when he woke up.
'I said smother him with your love...not glove'
As the winter goes on, things get harder for the three guys. Hank is worried that Jacob may do something foolish again, Lou is worried that Hank will betray them and keep the money for himself. Lou goes over and asks for his share and when Hank refuses Lou tells him that his brother had told him all about what had happened to the old man and will tell the sheriff.
The second half of the story involves Hank and Sarah scheming to protect themselves against Hank and from being found out about the money at all, Sarah suggests getting Lou drunk and recording him falsely confessing to murdering the old man. The first part of the plan goes well until Lou finds out, not only Hanks plot, but also that his friend Jacob has betrayed him. Things get really ugly when, whilst defending his brother, Jacob shoots Lou (his only friend) and then Hank has to kill Lou's wife when she tries to kill him.
Hank and Jacob have little time to come up with a story to convince the sheriff that they are innocent, not to mention the new complication of an FBI agent who has arrived looking for a plane and been told that Hank had heard one in trouble not long ago.
Can Hank get the law off his back? Can he prevent his brother do any more stupid things? Is this FBI agent to be trusted at all?
I really enjoyed watching this movie again, it is effective from the start as it immediately draws the audience into asking themselves what they would do, and how they would get away with it. Then, as it development unfolds we are left wondering how they can possibly carry on.
Billy Bob Thornton, who is always good at playing these rolls, is perhaps the standout in this movie. His character Jacob is a bit of a fool, but has some good sense at times and even knows a few home truths that Hank doesn't. His tendency to panic threatens to ruin their plans several times, which puts the audience on edge as to what he might do next. He's also a guy you can feel sorry for, he's alone apart from his brother and his only friend. He's also guilt ridden by what he has done to the old man, and then to Lou and struggles to come to turns with it all.
The wife, Sarah, is also very interesting. She doesn't want the money at first but very quickly changes her mind and then also begins to come up with plans to help themselves, she becomes so involved that she excuses Hank's killing of Dwight and tries to set up Lou.
This movie is 2 hours long and it is enjoyable throughout and looks great filmed in the snowy countryside and small town. There are several developments to push the story along. Most characters go through a change of opinion on what to do with the money, you're not sure whether there will be any betrayal or not and you're constantly wondering how they are all going to get away with this as things steadily spiral out of control.
This is definitely worth 2 hours of your time.
Best Line:
Do you ever feel evil?
Star Turn:
Billy Bob Thornton; creepy,unsettling, dangerously thoughtless, capable of anything
Best Moment:
Hank unsure of the FBI agent
I love this film. It's pretty obvious in which way things will pan out. It's panned out really well though. Fonda is great and I think it's one of my fave Billy-Bob performances. I can't understand why so few people know of this film
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