A Simple Plan (1998)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Sam Raimi

Writers (WGA):

Scott B. Smith (novel)
Scott B. Smith (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 December 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Sometimes good people do evil things.

Plot:

Two brothers and a friend find $4 million in the cockpit of a downed plane. The pilot is dead. No one is looking for the money. To keep it, all they have to do is wait. IT ALL SOUNDED SO SIMPLE...

Plot Keywords:

Money | Brother | Stolen Money | Bag | Cash

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Bill Paxton	...	Hank
Bridget Fonda	...	Sarah
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Jacob
Brent Briscoe	...	Lou
Jack Walsh	...	Tom Butler
Chelcie Ross	...	Carl
Becky Ann Baker	...	Nancy Chambers
Gary Cole	...	Baxter
Bob Davis	...	FBI Agent Renkins
Peter Syvertsen	...	FBI Agent Freemont
Tom Carey	...	Dwight Stephanson
John Paxton	...	Mr. Schmitt
Marie Mathay	...	News Reporter
Paul Magers	...	Anchorman
Joan Steffand	...	Anchorwoman

Also Known As:

A Thousand Miles (USA) (working title)
Ein einfacher Plan (Germany)
Un plan simple (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

France | UK | Germany | USA | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Peru:14 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KNT | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 (w) | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:M | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #36288)

Filming Locations:

Ashland, Wisconsin, USA

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

The clock on the wall in Carl's office, shown while he and Hank are waiting for Neil about 1:45 into the movie, has a name on it of the film's Art Dept Property Master (Amie McCarthy-Winn).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: After being killed, Lou blinks.

Quotes:

Sarah Mitchell: He's going to shoot all three of you, as soon as he sees the plane!

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 56th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1999) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Preachin' the Blues

A study in desperation

A Simple Plan is certainly not a simple film, as some reviewers here had hoped it would be. The point is not how simple life is, but how horribly wrong and out of control things can get. This film takes you to the absolute depths of human greed, desperation, and frailty. It is amazing how many evil deeds one can rationalize by believing "and then it will all be over." A Simple Plan is a great character study which makes you think of what you would do in the same situation. At what point would you draw the line? How far would you go to keep millions of dollars all to yourself? The excellent photography adds to the sense of desperation that permeates the whole film. The vast, snowbound landscape is the perfect image for the feelings the main characters have for their station in life: cold, silent, lifeless, unending, and unrelenting.

Don't watch this movie unless you are prepared to see a group of people reach the end of their rope and make a series of life-changing decisions.