A SIMPLE PLAN

Sam Raimi and Scott B. Smith’s intense thriller A SIMPLE PLAN, based on Smith’s acclaimed novel, is anything but simple. It is a complicated drama about three men living in a small town in Minnesota who find that blood is thicker than water and that lies can kill the body and the soul.

The intrigue in this morality tale begins when Hank Mitchell, his slow-witted brother Jacob and Jacob’s drinking buddy Lou discover a partially snow-covered plane that has crashed in the woods. They find a dead pilot inside the plane, along with $4.4 million.

Hank, a responsible husband and expectant father, wants to turn the money into the authorities. Both Jacob and Lou, however, hungrily want to keep the money. They are unemployed losers who see the money as the golden ship that has finally docked on the shore of their pointless, adrift lives. They think the plane and the money must belong to some drug-runners.

Hank gives in to their demands to keep the money, but he lays out several conditions: He personally will hide the money in a safe place until the spring, when the plane is surely to be found. If no one respectable shows up to claim or miss the money, they will divide it among themselves, but only if they all agree to leave town and go somewhere else.

Their “simple plan” goes terribly wrong, however, when doubts about each other’s commitment to the plan and commitment to each other arise. More lies and more trouble follow the three men and Hank’s wife, ending in violence, sorrow and regret.

A provocative thriller, A SIMPLE PLAN moves quickly and keeps one wondering what is going to happen next. A movie for older audiences, it shows how dishonesty can get out of control and lead to self-destruction. It also highlights the theme of getting caught for one’s sins and the lengths to which people are willing to go in order not to get caught. In this respect, Hank’s character reminds one of a certain president whose sexual habits have been in the news lately. Thus, A SIMPLE PLAN also, intentionally or unintentionally, seems to be a character study of the kind of person who, despite the sins he conspires to commit with other people, can always survive the disasters that follow, while the other people suffer tragic loss after tragic loss.

Of course, like that certain president, Hank is a respectable, likable fellow who inspires loyalty among the dim-witted. In the end, Hank finally realizes that his lies have not only figuratively murdered everything he ever loved, it has also destroyed his own spirit and joy of living.

Billy Bob Thornton (SLING BLADE and THE APOSTLE) turns in a brilliant performance as the slow-witted brother, Jacob. Some critics are already touting him as a serious Oscar contender. Relative newcomer Brent Briscoe as the quirky but shrewd drinking buddy, Lou, also turns in a wonderful performance that may be even better than Thornton’s. The power of his performance sneaks up on the audience in unexpected ways. Bill Paxton’s performance may not be noticed as much, but it is every bit as good. The emotional impact of the effects of Hank’s immoral decisions would not have been as great without Paxton’s fine performance as the Everyman Gone Wrong.

A SIMPLE PLAN is a cautionary tale as much as a thriller. Its characters ultimately are strongly pagan ones, and, regrettably, the movie offers no spiritual or moral hope for them, in this life or the next. These characters have clearly rejected God. Three of them even attend a funeral where the divine trinity is mentioned in a positive way, but no change occurs in their actions. The movie also contains some brief R-rated violence in a couple scenes, and a large amount of foul language throughout, including plenty of strong profanities.