A Simple Plan (1998): Greed is bad
1998 • Sam Raimi • 1.85:1 • Jump to Gallery ↓
Directed by Sam Raimi and based on the novel by Scott B. Smith, A Simple Plan follows three men who discover a crashed plane containing a large sum of cash in a snow-covered rural landscape. Believing they can keep the money without facing any consequences, the men devise a plan, but it gradually unravels as suspicion, greed, and fear take hold.
Built as a slow-burning crime thriller, the film traces the moral disintegration of its characters through a series of decisions that build up over time. What begins as a seemingly rational scheme turns into a series of increasingly risky compromises, where each attempt to maintain control leads to further uncertainty.
Set against a stark winter landscape, A Simple Plan uses its environment to reinforce isolation and inevitability. The quiet, open spaces contrast with the characters’ tightening psychological pressure as they become trapped within the consequences of their own choices. Within Sam Raimi’s filmography, A Simple Plan is a visually restrained and unexpectedly realistic entry.
Technical Specs:
- The Story: When three men discover a crashed plane containing a bag full of cash in the snowy Minnesota woods, their plan to keep the money quietly unravels as greed, paranoia, and mistrust set in.
- Actors: Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Bridget Fonda, Brent Briscoe, Jack Walsh, Becky Ann Baker, Chelcie Ross.
- Director: Sam Raimi
- Year: 1998
- Cinematographer: Alar Kivilo
- Origin: American Cinema
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Genre: Neo-Noir
