Overview
A gripping tale of greed and betrayal unfolds when three friends stumble upon a fortune.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- bleak
- foreboding
- harrowing
- snowy night
- serious movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Sam Raimi's restrained direction, emotionally complex storytelling, and especially the performances by Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Hank, Jacob, and Lou move from finding abandoned cash to concealment, deception, and lethal consequences.
Snowbound Minnesota woods and a struggling small-town community frame the characters’ descent into violence.
The recurring snow, frozen wilderness, and muted winter spaces make the characters’ moral entrapment visually palpable.
The decision to keep the money forces increasingly dangerous lies and actions as the characters try to protect their secret.
Films like A Simple Plan, and why
Fargo
midwestern crime, darkly comic fatalism, escalating greed, and morally compromised small-town characters
Blood Simple
neo-noir criminality, ordinary people making disastrous choices, and steadily tightening moral tension
No Country for Old Men
bleak crime drama, rural isolation, escalating violence, and a ruthless examination of greed
Winter's Bone
snowbound crime tension, ethical collapse, and emotionally complex working-class characters
Movie Details
- Director
- Sam Raimi
- Release Date
- 1998-12-11
- Runtime
- 121 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (1145)
Cast
- Billy Bob Thornton
- Bill Paxton
- Bridget Fonda
- Brent Briscoe
- Jack Walsh
- Chelcie Ross
- Becky Ann Baker
- Gary Cole
- Bob Davis
- Peter Syvertsen
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is A Simple Plan about?
- A snowbound discovery of stolen millions turns an ordinary Minnesota brotherhood into a harrowing study of greed, loyalty, and moral collapse.
- What is A Simple Plan like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Simple Plan as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is A Simple Plan violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in A Simple Plan as brutal.
- What did critics think of A Simple Plan?
- Critics broadly praised Sam Raimi's restrained direction, emotionally complex storytelling, and especially the performances by Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton.
- Which films are like A Simple Plan?
- Films with a similar feel include Fargo, Blood Simple, No Country for Old Men, and Winter's Bone.
- How long is A Simple Plan?
- A Simple Plan runs 121 minutes.
- Where can I watch A Simple Plan?
- In United States, A Simple Plan is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
