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Review by GaryW
3½ stars out of 4
A Simple Plan turns out not to be so simple. Like a host
of other movies, it begins with a simple "what if" question.
In this case, the question is "What would you do if you found
4 million dollars in cash in a crashed plane"? The attraction
for many of these movies-- at least the better ones-- is that they involve
normal people with which we can identify. Then, when things go
terribly wrong, as they usually do, we are disturbed, because we could
see these things happening to us. In this regard, A Simple Plan
succeeds, and for this reason alone it is worth watching. The simple
theft, rationalized as a victimless crime, as far ranging and unanticipated
consequences. Paxton does a fine job, and Thorton in particular
is impecable. While the story is slightly unbelieveable at a few
points, for the most part it is credible, largely due to the fine acting.
This film does a far better job, than, for example, the moronic
"Indecent Proposal", which asks "would you let your spouse
have sex with someone else for 1 million dollars"? The rural
setting and demeanor of the characters led my wife to compare this to
Fargo (a movie neither of us greatly appreciated). Overall, this
film is highly recommended if you are in the mood to watch an intelligent,
well-acted, character-driven thriller.
Special Note: the movie "Shallow Grave" has an extremely similar
plot, so if you like this movie, you may want to check that one out.
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