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:

Rural | Neo Noir | Murder | Fratricide | Pregnancy

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 14 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Wed. May 21

2:00 AM

TBS

Cast

Bill Paxton	...	Hank Mitchell
Bridget Fonda	...	Sarah Mitchell
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Jacob Mitchell
Brent Briscoe	...	Lou Chambers
Jack Walsh	...	Tom Butler
Chelcie Ross	...	Sheriff Carl Jenkins
Becky Ann Baker	...	Nancy Chambers
Gary Cole	...	Neil 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)
Einfacher Plan, Ein (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 (DeLuxe)

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 bar scenes were shot in Delano Minnesota. The bar used in the scenes was an old bar that was changed into a private residence in combination with the apartment above. The only real bar in town did not meet filming needs so the crew used the private residence and fixed up the interior to meet the look they were going for.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Hank shoots a chandelier, Jacob can be seen at the left of the screen, recoiling, his hand over his face as bits fly past him. A cut to Jacob, bits still flying, shows him perfectly still, staring down.

Quotes:

Jacob Mitchell: I wish somebody else had found that money.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Auld Lang Syne

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-