simple plan film simple plan american neo noir crime thriller film adapted novel directed film stars set rural minnesota simple plan follows hank mitchell brother jacob friend discover crashed plane containing million cash men great lengths money secret begin doubt trust resulting lies murder development film began novel published purchased film rights project picked independent film studio stepped film adaptation development hell troubled pre production turned opportunities direct film closed november project sold paramount_pictures hired direct scheduling conflicts led replacement principal photography began january concluded march days filming took place wisconsin minnesota score produced composed simple plan premiered toronto international film festival met critical acclaim film appearance festival preceded limited release united_states december followed general release north_america january north american box office grossing million million production budget reviewers praised aspects film production including storytelling performances direction simple plan earned multiple awards nominations academy award nominations smith plot hank mitchell wife sarah live rural minnesota town college graduates hank works feed mill wife librarian hank older socially challenged brother jacob jacob friend chase fox woods crashed airplane hank decides look inside plane discovers dead pilot bag containing million bills suggests turning money persuaded jacob hank proposes money safe house end winter sheriff drives area notices men hide money jacob pick truck jacob mentions hearing plane area avoid suspicion leaves men decide money secret hank breaks pact reveals discovery sarah sarah suggests hank jacob return sum money plane avoid suspicion local authorities travelling foot woods brothers come old man jacob thinking cover blown man regains consciousness hank uses drive body bridge making murder look like accidental death following night demands money hank spent discovery hank refuses threatens authorities having learned jacob old man murder sarah advises hank jacob team plot jacob dismay brothers visit home jacob confess old man murder hank records false confession tape recorder grows enraged realizes pulls gun jacob grabs rifle truck kills save brother hank kills wife shotgun appears gun brothers avoid arrest hank rehearsed speech jacob tell police jacob mentioned hearing plane woods asks brothers assist fbi agent search missing aircraft hank jacob meet police station sarah grows skeptical later discovers contacts warns hank steals office men head woods split finds plane kills engages hank hank manages kill gun stolen hank starts story tell authorities jacob announces want live bad memories threatens shoot end encourages hank kill instead frame crime decision hank kills jacob police station hank tells rehearsed story real fbi agents sarah predicted agents believe hank member community capable wrongdoing ruled suspect hank told money ransom bills serial numbers written track cash hank realizes use money caught goes home burns closing narration hank reflects losses tries life events constantly cast hank mitchell sheriff production development published short story new_yorker magazine fiction editor learned unpublished novel simple plan reading agent shortly smith learned interested purchasing film rights novel spent weekend reading book contacting smith agent deal following monday morning purchased rights production company additional come later studio interested pursuing project smith manuscript simple plan optioned development independent film studio scheduling conflicts planned film adaptation pretty horses stepped project learning film adaptation joined project signed picture directing deal spent months working script smith falling budget disputes reported million offer affect film budget explained problem don think good understanding films happen unable secure financing studio left production january announced helm film cage set appear starring role filming likely start following summer southern hemisphere canada following winter november following series box office failures announced retreating film industry studio later acquired chairman simple plan sale resulted cage leaving project project purchased paramount_pictures producer hired direct film cast lead roles hank respectively simple plan marked second screen collaboration false recalled got agents said wants script sent year ago read said send time read pages knew wanted learned novel simple plan father years securing role hank said love got lot hair born play said dad years list actors directors kind marched set roles fell apart twist actor dreamed decide scrap thing considered casting hank wife took location scouting filming set begin week january second investor left project paramount refused fully finance million production able secure financing studio feared filming finished end winter ran scheduling conflicts resulted leaving production paramount hired direct film smith said wasn familiar sam work met talking pleased felt like understood story understood people grew area country knew writing knew tell story right way time scout locations studio constraints relied previous locations visited involvement december previously collaborated cast simple plan production paramount film financed joint venture formed companies mutual international partners united_kingdom bbc germany japan france financed film exchange distribution rights respective territories equity stakes film worldwide basis paramount acquired north american distribution rights writing original script smith written pages long equivalent half hour film smith said experience wrote horrible draft think scared away project smith kept suggested story setting snow plays crucial role film adaptation place minnesota ohio book set suggested story set state joined project remained principal photography following publication simple plan eventually turned project script early draft stages involved smith spent months script smith explained ben showed write script worked gave cue movie write head film adaptation certain visual changes novel smith explained change involved discovery crashed plane script character throwing uncover plane book walking find wanted change focus story hank jacob ordered smith screenplay pages smith explained work hank rational character evil shortening script resulted character sarah having smaller role jacob getting live longer book jacob dies shootout house role secured smith omitted character overweight appearance novel smith described film adaptation violent book book violent movie graphic violence choice restrained bring characters filming principal photography principal photography simple plan began january concluded march days filming scheduled begin minnesota climatic changes result production forced temporarily relocate northern wisconsin find snow levels described script production began shooting wisconsin film exterior shots road woods near characters find plane filmed actual plane cut open planes depict crashed aircraft film production designer marking second collaboration quick dead found weather conditions difficult production await good weather complete necessary exterior work describing overall look film said created muted black white color scheme suggest morality tale choices given right wrong production team returned minnesota plagued lack snow solve problem production effects team sole responsibility dealing snow snow effects team created combination real snow fake synthetic snow shaved ice home wife nancy filmed abandoned house cinematographer described difficult filming location low ceilings heating art department tasked designing set inside home interior crashed plane hank discovers dead pilot million cash filmed second plane designed windows attached feet ground explained plane moves direction actual plane limit plane walls removed structurally described interior plane small cramped shooting space match interior footage shot wisconsin art department built set real trees painted backdrop depict hank attacked flock inside plane attack appeared screen live attack replica actor separate create sets depicting interiors mitchell home hank wife sarah reside set main floor exterior entrance way second created upstairs cinematography reading script director photography said approach making film look simple allowing characters tell story film thriller heart dark psychological drama man descent hell knew camera seat prior meeting inspiration look film came visual imagery film cold blood work photographer contacted agent arrange meeting meeting occurred weeks prior filming inspired photographs taken location scouting minnesota described photographs stark white snow black trees hard contrast reminded japanese wood cut prints simple graphic images saw simple plan opportunity direct character driven story differed earlier works highly stylized dependent intricate camera movements originally wanted shoot film format sam talked briefly beginning going explained lack prep time restricted budget lack lenses available decided cameras company series prime lenses shoot film vision film stock daylight scenes balanced vision film stock night scenes despite intense weather conditions believed overcast skies created gray somber stark look said allowed eliminate need bring heavy movie lights logistics light bounce snow use big negative fill shape light adding bit shiny card actors eyes wanted snow hot retain stark look chose use lighting daytime exterior scenes exterior scenes shot filming days computer generated imagery cgi create overcast skies added cgi helped inconsistencies caused snow falling shot shot explained intended use camera enhance story simplicity opening sequence starts quiet poetic landscapes white snow black trees black crow flying symbolically fitting images crow symbol greed strong visual theme later film choice black white battle conscious unconscious important element story evocative images abandoned farm hank jacob mitchell family home red tractor parked falling snow torn curtain wind innocent shots world falls apart noted film ends exact frames abandoned farm saw title sequence characters gone totally new value assigned shots feel different new emotions physically haven changed saw scenes place home said performances intense sam wanted shoot scene cameras lighting cameras significant compromise willing emotional load actors filming confrontation involving hank jacob said lighting came shallow soft boxes mounted low ceilings cameras scene odd mixture dealing dark human moments detailed technical considerations draining everybody depicting resulting shootout intent things lighting clear exactly happening camera department lit china ball ceiling depict lit kitchen light reveal nancy holding shotgun flash photography guns depict muzzle flashes said flash guns great long burn time don run danger having flash occur flashes daylight balanced double slightly warmer feel determined testing music simple plan film score produced composed drawn project learning directing film film marked collaboration instruments included alto bass tuned hand drums quality score explained thematic areas flute ensemble fun orchestra work brass percussion strings lots alto bass kind fun different thing simple sparse ensemble led alto bass specially tuned prepared started specially tuned worked music sounds micro tuned piano chords special samples tried heart starting odd groups started composing score soundtrack album titled simple plan music motion picture soundtrack released january release simple plan premiered 23rd toronto international film festival september december film opened limited release theaters limited release simple plan grossed week limited release average theater theaters added limited run january film officially entered wide release screening theaters north_america film ended north american theatrical run having grossed estimated production budget million response simple plan received critical acclaim mainstream film critics review website rotten_tomatoes sampled reviews gave film certified fresh score average score website consensus calls film crime thriller emotional tension review aggregator metacritic assigned film weighted average score based reviews mainstream critics indicating universal acclaim reviewing film toronto international film festival variety compared simple plan earlier film films life crimes average joe heads blend beautiful key differences emphasis tone noir simple plan robust gothic owes early review film prior limited release roger_ebert colleague gave film rating syndicated television program movies later episode ranked simple plan number list best films online film critic praised performance striking simple plan offer praised performers writing complex way shows paranoia greed deception conscience best men plays souls offers solid support woman stands man taking control life repeatedly praised direction entertainment_weekly wrote film lean elegant emotionally complex marvel proof evil dead series grown filmmaker maturity skill writing chicago_tribune said film directed genre picture excellent job lethal violence follows images know bodies going start pile new_york_times called film quietly devastating thriller directed makes flawless mainstream storytelling san_francisco_chronicle wrote mastery visual effects driven previous films simple plan marks successful break past drawn lovely complex performances proven work effectively minor emotional key reviews film positive simple plan detractors plot characters wrote surprise narrative tedious company wrote instead subtle powerful quiet desperation destroying people lives greed simple plan story unnecessary acts violence murder mainly stays surface offering little cheap melodrama accolades simple plan garnered awards nominations variety categories particular praise screenplay performance 56th golden globe awards received best supporting actor nomination lost received award performance academy awards received oscar nomination lost won award performance smith received oscar nomination lost won gods monsters addition receiving awards nominations simple plan named films home video north_america simple plan released vhs dvd formats june home video releases undertaken
A Simple Plan (film)