The Unenthusiastic Critic is celebrating #Noirvember in style, with a neo-noir debut-feature double-feature from two sets of renowned cinematic siblings: Joel and Ethan Coen's Blood Simple (1984), and Lana and Lilly Wachowski's Bound (1996).
Before they became household names (with Raising Arizona and The Matrix, respectively), The Coen Brothers and The Wachowski Sisters each burst on the scene with a low-budget, high-tension crime drama that both played into noir tropes and subverted them. These taut, efficient thrillers—filled with bad decisions, spiraling consequences, dark humor, and inventive camerawork—make the perfect double-bill for a morally bankrupt #Noirvember evening.
Program
0:00: Prologue: from Bound
00:58: Cultural Osmosis: Pre-Viewing Discussion of Blood Simple
14:00: Interlude: from Blood Simple
15:47: The Verdict I: Post-Viewing Discussion of Blood Simple
39:41: Interlude: from Bound
40:09: Cultural Osmosis: Pre-Viewing Discussion of Bound
45:40: Interlude: Original Trailer for Bound
47:39: The Verdict II: Post-Viewing Discussion of Bound
1:12:20: Outro and Next Week's Movie
1:14:44: Outtake
Notes and Links
—Movies Reviewed: Blood Simple (The Coen Brothers, Circle Films, 1984) and Bound (The Wachowski Sisters, Gramercy, 1996).
—Links and Sources: "How We Made Blood Simple," Phil Hoad, The Guardian; "30 Years of Coens: Blood Simple," Christopher Orr, The Atlantic; "Blood Simple: 'Down Here, You’re on Your Own'," Nathaniel Rich, Criterion; "Bound" review, Time Out; "Glory Bound: An Interview with The Wachowskis," Nat Whilk and Jayson Whitehead, Gadfly Online; "Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon revisit their lesbian neo-noir Bound," Maureen Lee Lenker, EW; "Lana Wachowski discusses Bound at the Music Box," seijinlee, YouTube; Reviews of Blood Simple and Bound, Roger Ebert, rogerebert.com.
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—"Warm Duck Shuffle" by Arne Huseby is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
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1 thought on “BLOOD SIMPLE (1984) <br> & BOUND (1996)”
Love both of these!
Quick story – had tickets to a sneak peak of "Bound" prior to release, grabbed a buddy and we stopped by the theater on the way home from work. (Picture a couple of salesmen in matching khakis and blue oxford shirts who sat there giving each other sht before the movie started) The person behind us leaned forward and quietly asked "how long have you two been together?" We noticed the audience and our matching outfits in the moment and quickly pointed out that we worked together. All around us we heard people talking to themselves – "Ohhhhh – that makes sense too – we were wondering", and I don't think we said another word until leaving the theater after the closing credits…