Masterpiece is a word bounded around far too often. That isn’t the case with Sam Raimi’s A Simple Plan. In fact, it may not be bounded around enough. The crime thriller asks a simple question; what would you do if you found $4 million dollars. In the parameters of that simple conceit Raimi and novelist/screenwriter Scott Smith have created a thrilling piece of American tragedy that’s as powerful as Of Mice and Men and as bitter and chilling a pill to swallow as was produced during the heyday of film noir.
After visiting their parents’ grave brothers Hank (Bill Paxton) and Jacob (Billy Bob Thorton) Mitchell with Jacob’s friend Lou (Brent Briscoe) find a plane with $4 million and a dead body. They decide with Hank’s insistence he keep the money and let the winter pass and others find the plane. This trio’s deal with the devil and their own hearts of greed sets the stage for violence and a truly American tale.
Raimi has always been a cinematic trickster playing with audiences’ expectations. He uses that skill set here for entirely different purposes than he’s ever done before or since. The way he is able to take the darkest of impulses and breathe life into them and make them so shakily humane and understandable – giving them life in a way that feels grounded is what gives A Simple Plan its cynical bite. Make no mistake the film’s bite is as much a commentary on the American Dream as it is American Greed. Making the thesis that they are one and the same.
Both Paxton and Bridget Fonda are electric here as the couple with a newborn faced with the darkest of choices are great. However, it’s Thorton as the seemingly simple-minded Jacob who is the broken soul and beating heart of this tragedy. Thorton is fearless in the way he approaches Jacob giving him grace and a real sense of simple-mindedness that feels real and not some joke. The way that Paxton is pushed and pulled by Fonda and Thorton is the moral scales that make the film so thrilling and such a sincerely terrifying look at what one will do for money and a chance at wealth.
A Simple Plan is a masterful piece of American-born and-bred cinema. The darkest of hearts and the most cynical of minds lay at its core. One that truly understands the American Dream is nothing but a hoax and is as ephemeral as snowfall.
The Transfer
The all-new 4K remaster from the original negative by Arrow Films, approved by director Sam Raimi presented in Dolby Vision is another marvelous upgrade in picture. The film has been relegated to DVD since 1999 in the US. The picture on this UHD disc is night and day difference. The image quality is boosted in a way that can’t be quantified. The 4K UHD disc looks better than it did projected in 35mm (this reviewer projected this film numerous times during its theatrical run in 1998). The snowbound film is positively luminous in the way that Fargo looked in the recent 4K UHD release. The way the transfer handles even the snowiest of scenes practically makes this a demo disc that shows how 4K handles even the trickiest of imagery – snow being one of the trickiest. This newest edition in 4K retains everything that made that 35mm version of the film so special. There isn’t a blemish, scratch, or fleck of dirt on the flawless transfer. The grain structure, the clarity, and the color are all perfectly balanced giving us one of the revelatory transfers of 2024.
The Extras
They include the following;
Brand new audio commentary by critics Glenn Kenny and Farran Smith Nehme
Brand new audio commentary by production designer Patrizia von Brandenstein with filmmaker Justin Beahm
Of Ice and Men with Alar Kivilo
Standing Her Ground with Becky Ann Baker
Dead of Winter with Chelcie Ross
On-set interviews with Paxton, Thornton, Fonda, Raimi, and producer Jim Jacks
Behind-the-scenes footage
Theatrical trailer
The first of two all-new audio commentaries is by critics Glenn Kenny and Farran Smith Nehme begin with their respective bonafides before diving into the opening moments of the film. Some of the details include the fox symbolism that runs through the film; the collaboration between director Sam Raimi and composer Danny Elfman; the work and career of Bill Paxton – including musical career and his passing; the work and career of Billy Bob Thornton; the work and career of Brent Briscoe; a detailed discussion of Raimi’s directorial style and how it changed for A Simple Plan; the central conceit of money, greed – and how audience relates to its concepts of money, literally, falling from the sky; the work and career of Bridget Fonda; the psychical look of Thornton’s character – leading to a larger discussion of the work and how its informed from his varied life as an artist; Kenny’s discussion of two profiles he did on Thornton at various times of his career; the work of cinematographer Alar Kivilo – the difference in style out of his normal work; defining noir and if this film lives up to the noir conventions/troupes; a discussion of the development of script and Scott Smith’s adaptation; a discussion of the difficult production; and much more. Kenny and Smith Nehme deliver a deeply researched informative commentary track for this American Classic.
The second of two all-new audio commentaries is by production designer Patrizia von Brandenstein with filmmaker Justin Beahm opens with their respective bonafides before diving into the opening and when and where it was shot. Some of the details include the difficulty with finding snow and also locations that fit the criteria – full verbose snow, the look of the building, the look of farms, the entire aesthetic; what was a “snow wrangler” and what they did; the photo references they used during the production; how the production design informs character, theme, and style; a discussion of the airplane that’s central to the first part of the film – how they acquired multiple versions of it for on location, sets, and inside for all of their requirements – and how the production went; a connection to Prince the production had; a larger discussion about the various homes and building within the Northern Midwest (Minnesota, Wisconsin) and what makes them so uniquely “Midwest” and history to each of these building and how that informed the film; a discussion of film productions and how they are treated in the Midwest – including a few anecdotes from other productions; and much more. A rare treat for cinephiles with a full commentary track with a production designer. Beahm and von Brandenstein deliver a wonderful track with a different look at a production.
Of Ice and Men with Alar Kivilo (8:18) – is an all-new interview with cinematographer Alar Kivilo begins his Zoom interview with how he got the job soon after leaving Canada. Kivilo discusses what attracted him to the project; the first meeting with Sam Raimi – and how he was hired on that meeting; how the style came out of the locations they found during scouting; the brevity of the pre-production; and much more.
Standing Her Ground with Becky Ann Baker (6:23) – is an all-new interview with actor Becky Ann Baker begins her Zoom interview and how she got the job under the direction of John Boorman and how she didn’t know that Sam Raimi was directing until just before the production began. Baker also discusses her death scene under Raimi’s direction; how Raimi was as a director and collaborator; her relationship with actor Brent Briscoe; the filming of the climatic scene for her character; and much more.
Dead of Winter with Chelcie Ross (10:45) – is an all-new interview with actor Chelcie Ross begins his interview with his desire to book the job and the work he did before with the character. Ross discusses his life before acting being in the military and how that informs the roles as uniformed characters; working and collaborating with Sam Raimi – and what makes him great in his role; the cold weather and how it effected the production; working with Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, and Brent Briscoe; and much more.
On-set interviews – these are broken down in a submenu by participant. These interviews are EPK-style interview blips where each discusses their characters, their impressions of the source material, the story, the film itself, working with Sam Raimi, and more.
Bill Paxton (3:47)
Billy Bob Thornton (3:59)
Bridget Fonda (2:22)
Sam Raimi (6:02)
Jim Jacks (1:05)
Behind-the-scenes footage (6:47) – video b-roll footage of the production creating the snowy locations; shooting specific scenes (like the opening, finding the plan, et. al.); Raimi directing; and more. The footage is presented without commentary or interviews.
Theatrical trailer (2:23)
The Final Thought
A Simple Plan is a stone-cold classic. Arrow has treated it as such with its 4K UHD edition. Highest Recommendations!!!
Sam Raimi’s Noir Masterpiece A Simple Plan comes to 4K UHD thanks to Arrow Video in a beautiful and stacked 4K UHD Limited edition.
The Film
Masterpiece is a word bounded around far too often. That isn’t the case with Sam Raimi’s A Simple Plan. In fact, it may not be bounded around enough. The crime thriller asks a simple question; what would you do if you found $4 million dollars. In the parameters of that simple conceit Raimi and novelist/screenwriter Scott Smith have created a thrilling piece of American tragedy that’s as powerful as Of Mice and Men and as bitter and chilling a pill to swallow as was produced during the heyday of film noir.
After visiting their parents’ grave brothers Hank (Bill Paxton) and Jacob (Billy Bob Thorton) Mitchell with Jacob’s friend Lou (Brent Briscoe) find a plane with $4 million and a dead body. They decide with Hank’s insistence he keep the money and let the winter pass and others find the plane. This trio’s deal with the devil and their own hearts of greed sets the stage for violence and a truly American tale.
Raimi has always been a cinematic trickster playing with audiences’ expectations. He uses that skill set here for entirely different purposes than he’s ever done before or since. The way he is able to take the darkest of impulses and breathe life into them and make them so shakily humane and understandable – giving them life in a way that feels grounded is what gives A Simple Plan its cynical bite. Make no mistake the film’s bite is as much a commentary on the American Dream as it is American Greed. Making the thesis that they are one and the same.
Both Paxton and Bridget Fonda are electric here as the couple with a newborn faced with the darkest of choices are great. However, it’s Thorton as the seemingly simple-minded Jacob who is the broken soul and beating heart of this tragedy. Thorton is fearless in the way he approaches Jacob giving him grace and a real sense of simple-mindedness that feels real and not some joke. The way that Paxton is pushed and pulled by Fonda and Thorton is the moral scales that make the film so thrilling and such a sincerely terrifying look at what one will do for money and a chance at wealth.
A Simple Plan is a masterful piece of American-born and-bred cinema. The darkest of hearts and the most cynical of minds lay at its core. One that truly understands the American Dream is nothing but a hoax and is as ephemeral as snowfall.
The Transfer
The all-new 4K remaster from the original negative by Arrow Films, approved by director Sam Raimi presented in Dolby Vision is another marvelous upgrade in picture. The film has been relegated to DVD since 1999 in the US. The picture on this UHD disc is night and day difference. The image quality is boosted in a way that can’t be quantified. The 4K UHD disc looks better than it did projected in 35mm (this reviewer projected this film numerous times during its theatrical run in 1998). The snowbound film is positively luminous in the way that Fargo looked in the recent 4K UHD release. The way the transfer handles even the snowiest of scenes practically makes this a demo disc that shows how 4K handles even the trickiest of imagery – snow being one of the trickiest. This newest edition in 4K retains everything that made that 35mm version of the film so special. There isn’t a blemish, scratch, or fleck of dirt on the flawless transfer. The grain structure, the clarity, and the color are all perfectly balanced giving us one of the revelatory transfers of 2024.
The Extras
They include the following;
The first of two all-new audio commentaries is by critics Glenn Kenny and Farran Smith Nehme begin with their respective bonafides before diving into the opening moments of the film. Some of the details include the fox symbolism that runs through the film; the collaboration between director Sam Raimi and composer Danny Elfman; the work and career of Bill Paxton – including musical career and his passing; the work and career of Billy Bob Thornton; the work and career of Brent Briscoe; a detailed discussion of Raimi’s directorial style and how it changed for A Simple Plan; the central conceit of money, greed – and how audience relates to its concepts of money, literally, falling from the sky; the work and career of Bridget Fonda; the psychical look of Thornton’s character – leading to a larger discussion of the work and how its informed from his varied life as an artist; Kenny’s discussion of two profiles he did on Thornton at various times of his career; the work of cinematographer Alar Kivilo – the difference in style out of his normal work; defining noir and if this film lives up to the noir conventions/troupes; a discussion of the development of script and Scott Smith’s adaptation; a discussion of the difficult production; and much more. Kenny and Smith Nehme deliver a deeply researched informative commentary track for this American Classic.
The second of two all-new audio commentaries is by production designer Patrizia von Brandenstein with filmmaker Justin Beahm opens with their respective bonafides before diving into the opening and when and where it was shot. Some of the details include the difficulty with finding snow and also locations that fit the criteria – full verbose snow, the look of the building, the look of farms, the entire aesthetic; what was a “snow wrangler” and what they did; the photo references they used during the production; how the production design informs character, theme, and style; a discussion of the airplane that’s central to the first part of the film – how they acquired multiple versions of it for on location, sets, and inside for all of their requirements – and how the production went; a connection to Prince the production had; a larger discussion about the various homes and building within the Northern Midwest (Minnesota, Wisconsin) and what makes them so uniquely “Midwest” and history to each of these building and how that informed the film; a discussion of film productions and how they are treated in the Midwest – including a few anecdotes from other productions; and much more. A rare treat for cinephiles with a full commentary track with a production designer. Beahm and von Brandenstein deliver a wonderful track with a different look at a production.
Of Ice and Men with Alar Kivilo (8:18) – is an all-new interview with cinematographer Alar Kivilo begins his Zoom interview with how he got the job soon after leaving Canada. Kivilo discusses what attracted him to the project; the first meeting with Sam Raimi – and how he was hired on that meeting; how the style came out of the locations they found during scouting; the brevity of the pre-production; and much more.
Standing Her Ground with Becky Ann Baker (6:23) – is an all-new interview with actor Becky Ann Baker begins her Zoom interview and how she got the job under the direction of John Boorman and how she didn’t know that Sam Raimi was directing until just before the production began. Baker also discusses her death scene under Raimi’s direction; how Raimi was as a director and collaborator; her relationship with actor Brent Briscoe; the filming of the climatic scene for her character; and much more.
Dead of Winter with Chelcie Ross (10:45) – is an all-new interview with actor Chelcie Ross begins his interview with his desire to book the job and the work he did before with the character. Ross discusses his life before acting being in the military and how that informs the roles as uniformed characters; working and collaborating with Sam Raimi – and what makes him great in his role; the cold weather and how it effected the production; working with Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, and Brent Briscoe; and much more.
On-set interviews – these are broken down in a submenu by participant. These interviews are EPK-style interview blips where each discusses their characters, their impressions of the source material, the story, the film itself, working with Sam Raimi, and more.
Behind-the-scenes footage (6:47) – video b-roll footage of the production creating the snowy locations; shooting specific scenes (like the opening, finding the plan, et. al.); Raimi directing; and more. The footage is presented without commentary or interviews.
Theatrical trailer (2:23)
The Final Thought
A Simple Plan is a stone-cold classic. Arrow has treated it as such with its 4K UHD edition. Highest Recommendations!!!
Arrow Video’s 4K UHD Edition of A Simple Plan is out November 19th
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