Ein einfacher Plan

Ein brillant geschriebener "kleiner" Thriller mit einer großartigen Regie, mit Überraschungen und einem Gedanken. Alle Filmemacher-Aspekte sind dem Talent des Regisseurs Sam Raimi untergeordnet. Es hat keinen Sinn, sie einzeln zu erwähnen. (08.09.2009)

A gripping little thriller with brilliantly written characters (Bridget Fonda) and great performances (Billy Bob Thornton). Besides the high tension, the film offers a very important life lesson: never conspire with mentally handicapped people because they can ruin even the simplest plans. The ending is excellent. Raimi at his best. (12.06.2010)

Sam Raimi has made a decent series of films, some of which benefit from the nostalgia of movie fans (The Evil Dead), some from his reputation as a commercially successful creator (Spiderman), but if I had to label a film that he truly succeeded at and is the pinnacle of his directorial efforts so far, then I would without hesitation point to A Simple Plan. Some compare it to Fargo, whereas I would rather use the analogy to Sidney Lumet's film Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, but in any case, it belongs to the same dark crime genre that transitions into top-notch psychological drama with well-developed characters and polished emotional scenes. The scenes in the sheriff's office, where the protagonist hunts down individual bullets, and later in the crashed airplane, where he tries to load them, are among those that I will hold in my memory of my best movie experiences, and the scene of the final execution reminded me of a similar tragic scene from Of Mice and Men. So what is the message of the film? When you find a bag full of money, try to be single if possible, or quickly hand over the money to the appropriate authorities. Otherwise, things will quickly start to go wrong and you won't want to see those consequences. Compared to Fargo, this film is somewhat less flashy, so don't look for any bodies in a woodchipper, but the ending is more acrid. The sad protagonist finds himself in a situation where he doesn't experience a terrible ending, but rather endless horror. Overall impression: 90%. (24.08.2011)

The brilliant Sam Raimi before he embarked on his high-budget Hollywood career with Spiderman. Minimum space, a chilling atmosphere, an excellent screenplay, and a logical resolution of complex machinations around 4 million dollars that three small-town residents happen to find by chance. It’s slightly reminiscent of Fargo with its effortless and subliminal cynicism, accompanied by violence – just less extreme – while the ending is unexpected. The ensemble cast is a pleasure to watch. (19.06.2015)

Ich habe mich an verschiedene Filme erinnert – an Fargo von den Coen-Brüdern, an Kleine Morde unter Freunden von Boyle usw. All diese Filme waren aber besser als Ein einfacher Plan. Billy Bob Thornton hat seine Rolle, in der ich mir ansonsten nur Steve Buscemi vorstellen könnte, fantastisch dargestellt. Ohne ihn hätte ich dem Film einen Stern weniger gegeben. Alles, was im Film passiert ist, kam mir fürchterlich naiv, unglaubwürdig und schlecht dargestellt vor. Das war das Problem. Von dem verunglückten Flugzeug, das niemand sucht (über das aber in der Zeitung berichtet wird) bis hin zu den einzelnen Morden und der Tatsache, dass es den Polizisten völlig egal war. Sam Raimi hat dennoch seine Arbeit gemacht. Die Szenen im verschneiten Wald, der von Krähen beobachtet wird, sind eigentlich nicht schlecht… Es ist aber dasselbe wie bei seinem Film The Gift - Die dunkle Gabe passiert – das Drehbuch hat fast alles verdorben. Zweieinhalb. (16.11.2012)

A tense and well-directed psychological game where you can never be sure what will happen in the next scene, let alone in the ending, which, by the way, is probably the best it could be. Given their diverse nature, it’s clear that the characters are going to have a hard time from the moment the money is found and the first disagreements about where to hide it begin. But what happens next is a joy to watch, both from a filmmaking point of view and from a purely realistic one – I had to ask myself several times, what would I do? Taking into account the excellent and heartfelt performances of Paxton and Thornton, I have to rank this film among the absolute top. (12.01.2012)

As a kid from the younger generation, I had associated Raimi mainly with Spider-Man (I knew that there was some kind of The Evil Dead, of course, but I had no idea that it was one of Raimi's first pieces :)). And A Simple Plan is great in every way – the perfect atmosphere enhanced by Elfman's wonderful music, an elaborate script, and Billy Bob Thornton as the slightly slow Jacob was excellent, as were the rest of the cast. Raimi's amazing concept, a few chilling moments, and a truly "badass" (I had to use that word:)) ending ensure a truly extraordinary experience. (16.09.2009)

Eine Geschichte über einen klügeren und zwei dümmere Kleinstädter, die der Versuchung nicht widerstehen können, in einer wunderschönen Winterlandschaft wie in Fargo aussieht, schnell reich zu werden. Damit ist aber jede weitere Verbindung mit der berühmten Marke beendet. Statt zynischem Humor gibt es eine Geschichte aus dem Leben über unerfüllte Träume, altem Unrecht und den Glauben an ein besseres Morgen, begleitet von altmodischen Weisheiten der Art – manchmal ist weniger mehr, die jedoch mit so viel Leichtigkeit und Geschmack serviert werden, dass man es ihm glatt verzeihen kann. Daher entwickeln sich aus anfangs flachen Figuren vollwertige Charaktere, deren Schicksal dem Zuschauer im Finale viel am Herzen liegen wird. Und Billy Bob Thornton zeichnet sich mal wieder aus. (17.07.2017)