A Simple Plan (1998)

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:

Many of the props used in the film where local items: for example the feed store calendar (used in the scene "Are you mean to tell me that there were five weeks last month?") is the State Bank of Delano anniversary calendar (current at the time of filming) which featured photos of historic buildings (some torn down) in the town (and town's past), hence its rustic addition of the prop to the feed store.

Goofs:

Continuity: Damage to front of pickup truck after hitting tree.

Quotes:

Sarah Mitchell: That man's got a gun, Hank. He's gonna shoot you both.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Preachin' the Blues

A good solid thriller

Scott B. Smith's A Simple Plan puts Sam Raimi back in my book (I forgot about him for a while after he did EVil Dead and part 2) by giving a good solid thriller that can sometimes be interpreted by some as a very dark comedy. The plot (I think already stated) has 2 brothers and a friend in a winter setting, who find a plane, a plane that can change they're lives (chiching), but the cost, is something they don't even know they are going to bear. Sometimes the characters make dumb choices, but that atually makes it entertaining. The best surprise however is Billy Bob Thornton's performance because he is always good in anything he does. Good film for Raimi to have, and for the cast also. A-