Quick Info
This film is a slow-burn crime thriller about three ordinary guys who stumble upon a crashed plane full of cash in the snowy woods of Minnesota. It starts innocently, with the friends convincing themselves they’ll wait to see if the money is claimed, but things spiral fast. The tension builds around how far regular people will go to protect a secret, and it’s the sort of story that quietly sneaks up on you, gnawing at your conscience.
What stood out the most to me was how grounded everything felt—no flashy editing or over-the-top action. Director Sam Raimi keeps your attention locked on the moral unraveling of each character, especially Hank, played by Bill Paxton in maybe his best, most relatable role. Billy Bob Thornton is heartbreakingly good as his simple-minded but trusting brother, making it so hard not to root for them even as they dig themselves deeper.
It isn’t a flawless film; the pacing is deliberate, and if you’re expecting a twist-filled crime caper, you’ll be disappointed. Sometimes the dialogue veers just a little melodramatic, and there are a couple of scenes where character motivations didn’t totally click for me. Still, you can’t look away, and the bleakness of the snowbound setting adds so much to the tension.
Visually, the cinematography is quietly gorgeous—there’s a bleak poetry to those endless grey skies and the stark white snow. The camera lingers just long enough to let you soak in the isolation, amplifying the characters’ paranoia. It never looks slick, which fits perfectly with how the story unspools—messy, raw, and pretty unforgiving.
You would enjoy this if you like crime stories that feel real, where small-town desperation and good intentions clash with temptation. If you’re in the mood for something that works more like a moral fable than a typical thriller, and you’re okay with a slow build, A Simple Plan is a hidden gem.
