A Simple Plan

1998

2h 1m

IMDb RATING

7.2/10

988

YOUR RATING

Rate

POPULARITY

Play trailer

1 Video

69 Images

Crime

Drama

Thriller

Captivated by the lure of sudden wealth, the quiet rural lives of two brothers erupt into conflicts of greed, paranoia and distrust when over $4 million in cash is discovered at the remote site of a downed small airplane. Their simple plan to retain the money while avoiding detection opens a Pandora's box when the fear of getting caught triggers panicked behavior and leads to virulent consequences.

Directors

Sam Raimi

Writers

Scott B. Smith(screenplay by)

Scott B. Smith(novel by)

Stars

Billy Bob Thornton

Bill Paxton

Bridget Fonda

See production, box office & company info

Videos1

Trailer
Watch Original Trailer

Photos69

Top cast

Jacob Mitchell

Hank Mitchell

Sarah Mitchell

Lou Chambers

Tom Butler

Carl Jenkins

Nancy Chambers

Baxter

FBI Agent Renkins

FBI Agent Freemont

Dwight Stephanson

Mr. Schmitt

News Reporter

Anchorman

Anchorwoman

Hospital Nurse

Bartender

Drinker

Directors

Sam Raimi

Writers

Scott B. Smith(screenplay by)

Scott B. Smith(novel by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

User reviews3

Review

Featured review

8/10

***Bleak crime drama in the wintery Minnesota woods*** Two brothers & a friend from a small town in Minnesota (Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton and Brent Briscoe) happen upon a crashed plane in the woods, which contains over $4 million in cash. They assume it’s drug money and hatch a simple plan to sit on the money until spring when the plane is discovered; if no one legitimately claims it they’ll divvy it up. But things don’t go according to plan due to idiocy, mistrust and greed. Bridget Fonda is on hand as the main protagonist’s wife. Directed by Sam Raimi before his ultra-success with the Spider-Man trilogy, "A Simple Plan” (1998) was written by Scott B. Smith based on his page-turning book of the same name (there are enough changes to make both worthwhile). The wintery Minnesota setting is fitting for the bleak psychological drama. Speaking of which, the best thing about this movie is its exploration of human nature and how “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil,” as the Bible puts it. The movie effectively shows how basically good and normal people can be corrupted by the temptation of easy wealth; so corrupted that he or she is suddenly willing to murder, lie and connive. The story works so well because of the three well-defined characters. We’ve all met these types in real life: The wholesome, educated man who’s not quite living up to his potential and yet is generally satisfied; the loser, screw-up who’s never been with a girl even though he’s in his 40s; and the annoying redneck hick. The film runs 2 hours and was shot in Minnesota (Delano, St. Paul & Golden Valley) and Wisconsin (Ashland). GRADE: A-

Wuchak02 Jun, 2019