Thrillers. It's what we call movies that try to reel
you in to an intricate, edge-of-your-seat plot and dazzle you with
twists and turns to keep you guessing what will happen next.
Typically thrillers are judged by their ability to surpise you and
keep you off guard. If you guess what's going to happen, you won't
find it a very good film, while surprise endings make you leave the
theater with a smile. A good thriller will have characters you can
feel for, but at their heart, thrillers are an exercise in technique
over character studies. Along comes A SIMPLE PLAN, which at it's
heart has a been-there-done-that plot with little surprises, but with
a stronger emphasis on character development to the point where it
holds your interest in what happens to the characters even when you
know every step before it happens. Call this film an
anti-thriller.
o brothers and a buddy go out hunting one day in a natural reserve and uncover a downed airplane under several feet of snow. Upon internal inspection, one of the brothers finds a bag which just happens to be filled with over $4 million in cash. The three decide to split the money, but one of the brothers insists on holding on to it before everyone gets their share in order for some time to pass to see if anyone will suspect them. Throughout the course of protecting their stash, they are subjected to murders, double-crosses, paranoia, and much unpleasantness. Now it appears the FBI is on the case and there are a lot of loose ends strewn about to catch them with.
This film
is more interesting for it's use of good people as the bad guys and
for forcing the viewer to adopt the position of essentially rooting
for criminals. Scott B. Smith adapts this screenplay from his book,
and features very sympathetic characters and realistic motivations.
Raimi thankfully subdues his usual emphasis on style over substance
for one of his best directorial performances to date, evoking quality
acting especially from the always excellent Billy Bob Thornton (who
received an Academy Award nomination). The sympathy for the
characters turns into a bit of a double-edged sword as you end up
caring for the characters, but that same sympathy will ultimately
leave you feeling dissatisfied with the ending. Credit A SIMPLE PLAN
for having the guts to make us care for the characters, even if it
doesn't have the brains to make the plot original.
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