This was the Coen's debut and already all the trademarks were there: fantastic characters, very black humor, outstanding camera and acting and a script that's very unconventional. Tight, thrilling - a must for any film fan. 9 stars out of 10.In case you're interested in more underrated masterpieces, here's some of my favorites:imdb.com/list/ls070242495

Scuzzy cuckolded bar owner Julian Marty (Dan Hedaya in peak oily form) hires sleazy private detective Visser (marvelously played to the deliciously odious hilt by M. Emmet Walsh) to murder his unfaithful wife Abby (an excellent portrayal by Frances McDormand) and her earnest lover Ray (a solid performance by John Getz). However, human error enters into the equation and things spiral dangerously out of control.Joel and Ethan Coen bring a standard noir situation kicking and screaming into a bright, lurid, and sweaty Texas world in their striking cinematic debut: We've got a dark brooding atmosphere, a colorful array of nicely sordid characters, an absorbing premise that's firmly grounded in a plausibly seamy and starkly amoral workaday reality, inspired touches of wickedly funny black humor, fine use of the dusty'n'desolate Lone Star State terrain, and a serpentine narrative in which a series of bad calls and misunderstandings culminate in a real doozy of a violent and nightmarish climax. The four leads all do sturdy work, with Walsh a particular stand-out as a super slimy worm who's more than willing to kill someone for the right price. Barry Sonnenfeld's gleaming cinematography provides an appropriately garish glittery neon look and boasts lots of sinuous tracking shots. Carter Burwell's spare moody score does the harmonic trick. Essential viewing.

Texas bar owner Julian Marty suspects that his wife, Abby, is having an affair with Ray, one of his barmen so employs Loren Visser, a sleazy private detective to obtain evidence. It turns out that he was right; Abby is having an affair. He later decides that Abby and Ray need to die so offers Visser $10,000 to murder them. He agrees but rather than killing them he shoots Marty with a pistol he stole from Abby's house. Things soon get complicated as Ray finds Marty and the abandoned gun which leads to him thinking Abby shot him; getting rid of the body won't be easy… even when this is done the problems are far from over; in fact they will get far greater before it is all over.This might not be the Cohen Brothers' best film but given that it was their first it is impressive and definitely hints at the great films to come. The story is somewhat complex, as each protagonist has a different idea of who did what to whom, but never confusing. Much of the action takes place at night; the darkness adding to the atmosphere. The cast does a fine job; Dan Hedaya really impresses as Marty, an intense character who it is easy to believe would pay to have somebody killed; M. Emmet Walsh is a lot of fun, and provides some laughs, as the sleazy detective; Frances McDormand is great as Abby, surprisingly her first film role; and John Getz is solid as Ray. While the film isn't exactly action packed there are moments of violence, some which might disturb some viewers… this is especially true during the impressively tense finale. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to fans of neo-noir or those who enjoy the Coen Brother's films.

The story is awfully simple: Marty, a Texas bar owner and betrayed husband (Dan "Usual Suspects" Hedaya) hires the private eye to kill his unfaithful wife Abby (Frances McDormand) and her lover Ray (John "The Fly" Getz) who's also Marty's employee. The eye pretends to do the job and shows Marty some fake photographs showing the lovers shot dead in bed. He takes the money, then he shoots his hirer right away and disappears. Ray, who doesn't know about the detective's existence, discovers Marty's almost dead body. For him, no doubt: it's Abby who did this work... He takes him away in order to bury him far away from the bar, and finds out that Marty isn't dead yet. He's forced to bury him alive, offering us the most nightmarish scene of the film....The movie is a real visual and sound shock. The script is incredibly original and brings some freshness in usual cinema stuff dealing with unfaithful characters ready to kill each other in order to avoid all the difficulties linked to divorce. The ambiance and atmosphere is the ones of a real bad dream, a nightmare, and the fact that the story takes place in an early, gray place in Texas (don't miss the hilarious prologue), where everything weird can happen very normally, adds to it. And the soundtrack by Carter Burwell is extraordinary, this is what he did first and best for the Coen brothers. It captures everything of the movie and makes the nightmare become really true. All in all, "Blood Simple" is a very intriguing and suspenseful film, and totally entertaining. Highly recommended for a cold rainy night.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.