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Anyway, took in "A Simple Plan"
yesterday, and found it to be a distressing look at Sam Raimi
reaching for the brass ring of 'respectability' (whatever that's
worth) and nearly falling off his horse. Working with a barely
servicable script (the best one can say about it is that it does
give the impression of containing a few believable
flesh-and-blood characters, in constrast to the petrie-dish
specimens of "Fargo", comparisons to which are almost
inevitable due to Raimi's long-standing relationship to the
Coens, not to mention the snow), Raimi tries hard to generate
real tension and interest, but simply doesn't have the narrative
to work with...the result is worse than a hideous failure; it's
merely mediocre, and curiously flat (the whole thing seems
forcibly, uncomfortably stifled, as if Raimi were an alcoholic
suddenly saddled with Near Beer). Bad script (and customarily
horrid Danny Elfman score) aside, however, the picture is most
engaging as a work of craftmanship. There's a tight, disciplined
rhythm to the picture that's quite effective; the white-on-white
production design (lots of computer-generated snow) is presented
with a great deal more softness and warmth than the story merits;
and the performances (with the exception of Bridget Fonda, who is
given nothing to work with; she turns from maternal caregiver to
shrieking harpy in about 4 seconds w/ no development whatsoever)
are mostly top-notch (especially Billy Bob Thornton and Bill
Paxton's scenes together...they seem to be working telepathically
in these). No matter what one thinks of Raimi's work, it's hard
to deny that he's a fine storyboard architect, and there's an odd
10-minute sequence towards the middle of this picture that's
incongruously his best work to date: beginning as a static
dialogue shot, the tensions between the characters involved are
gradually brought to the surface, and Raimi (with surprising
subtlety) throws the tension at the audience through increasingly
claustrophobic close-ups and cross-shots, keeps it boiling for
far longer than necessary, lets things explode, then (unable to
resist, and for once in 'character') throws a curve-ball by
throwing in a few more bombs out of nowhere for good measure (not
to give too much away, but it's the only scene Raimi seems to
feel at home, and he even breaks out more than a few of the
blood-squibs he built his reputation on). It's a thrilling
sequence to watch unfold, not so much for what's happening but
for how Raimi confidently manipulates the whole thing.
Unfortunately, after he (and the audience) are allowed their fun,
there's nowhere for the film to go but down, and the second half
degenerates into ludicrous implausibility and seems even more
repressed (read: dull) than the first. Raimi's got talent, and is
obviously capable of delivering a successful 'mainstream' effort.
This one ain't it by a longshot (and neither will his upcoming
Kevin Costner baseball picture, I tend to think). I dunno, maybe
he just needs Bruce Campbell back. |
