Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1984 neo noir crime thriller, Blood Simple, is an impeccable debut for the pair. The film follows a quartet of characters, Ray (John Getz), Abby (Frances McDormand), Julian Marty (Dan Hedaya), and Loren Visser (M. Emmet Walsh) as they either escape abuse or face abuse through a complex love triangle, grimy private detective, and a man who is simply trying to do the right thing. The Coen brothers are known for their black comedies that feature many characteristics which appeal to the abject and the repulsive senses, but Blood Simple does so in such a unique way through utilizing these characteristics as a tool for plot devices and character development. Whether it be rotting milk or a knife twisting in a character’s hand, Joel and Ethan Coen know exactly how to make an audience member’s stomach churn as they decide whether to turn away from the screen or keep watching the events unfold. In Blood Simple the gross and the gore are not there to just garner a reaction but are instead utilized in a way to further the storyline and create complexity within an already dense relationship-based plot through the characterization of Visser, burying someone alive, and the close-ups of blood.
At the beginning of the film, the audience is introduced to the deep voice of a southern man who is almost incomprehensible as he slurs through each word ranting about complainers. When they meet Visser, he is the picture-perfect representation of his voice, an older private detective with a receding hairline whose gut hangs over the waistband of his yellow suit. He lurks through the windows like a voyeur sweating with anticipation, he is literally sweating. The characterization of Visser can only be described as one thing: gross. From his vernacular to the Barbie torso with flashing breasts in his car, and even his comedic and sexual rant about Marty’s broken finger, the audience is taught to cringe at this individual, but they do not view him as a threat, until he suggests murdering Ray and Abby.
The intentional characterization of Visser by the Coen brothers unknowingly allows the audience to get acclimated to the nauseating aspects of Blood Simple. This nauseous feeling accumulates in the second act, which is offbeat and unexpected when Visser shoots Marty in the chest. Here, this greedy slob shoots the man who just paid him $10,000, and the audience receives a perfect close-up of a gunshot wound pulsating and leaking thick blood. This moment only lasts a few seconds but can make anyone shiver appealing to the abject because they are like Visser in a way, satisfied when watching the “bad guy” bleed. It is here, that a tonal shift occurs not just in plot but in content because they are entering the gross and gory world of the Coens.
When Marty is shot, Ray discovers him and assumes he died at the hands of Abby. He takes Marty to a secluded spot in order to hide the body and protect his lover. The issue: Marty is not dead. After a struggle, Ray decides to bury him alive, which may lack blood but is one of the most abhorrent ways to die. Here, the audience watches as a man not only suffers from a gunshot wound but also chokes on dirt through is muffled screams. One of the most shocking moments can be seen when Marty breathes, and his chest rises and falls dramatically underneath the dirt. This scene is the gross. It is difficult and tense even though the supposed villain is dying. The Coen brothers raise a morality issue in this moment, making one question if Ray’s deed was necessary because the gratuitous nature of this forces one to not root for the hero. At the end of the film the real hero prevails, and the gross and the gore reaches its peak.
As Abby attempts to escape Visser, she finds herself in another apartment building, only protected with a knife. When Visser’s hand reaches through the opening of the window, Abby slams the window down onto his hand causing the glass on his side to break and him to slice his ear. Once Visser is stuck, she stabs his hand with a knife and twists as blood gushes out of his wound. This moment is shot in an extreme close-up forcing the audience to gawk at the bloody scene in front of them because there is nowhere else for their heads to turn. The Coens are back focusing on the gore but here the gross and the gore combine because the act is done on the embodiment of the gross. He wails and sputters as blood drips from his ear and the sweat from his forehead follows. This moment is a direct juxtaposition to the death of Marty because one does not feel sympathy but instead triumph. The audience wants Visser to suffer at the hands of Abby creating a unique disassociation between Visser and Marty because Marty was the distant threat, but Visser was the direct one.
Joel and Ethan Coen’s Blood Simple is a unique film that draws the audience in to the most unexpected moments. Typically, one would look away from the gross and the gore, but the Coens do not give you an opportunity to as the gross is an actual character or event, and the gore is shorter but shot in extreme close-ups. They utilize these unpleasant moments to draw connections, or differences, between characters as well as cause the audience to question the reasoning behind such events. Therefore, the gross and the gore are not used for shock value but are instead intentionally placed to provoke audiences to think about the events unfolding in front of them.
コメント