A Simple Plan (1998)
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Two brothers and a friend discover a crashed plane containing millions of dollars in cash in the snowy woods of Minnesota.
The story
Set in rural Minnesota, the story follows brothers Hank and Jacob Mitchell, who, along with Jacob's friend Lou, discover a crashed plane containing $4.4 million in cash. The three men and Hank's wife Sarah go to great lengths to keep the money a secret. However, the burden of the secret begins to weigh on them, leading to a breakdown in trust. As they navigate the consequences of their discovery, the situation spirals into a web of lies, deceit, and violence, forcing the group to confront the moral consequences of their actions as they struggle to keep the windfall for themselves.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After finding a crashed plane with $4.4 million in cash, Hank, Jacob, and Lou decide to keep the money. When a local sheriff briefly encounters them, they swear to keep the secret, though Hank eventually tells his pregnant wife, Sarah. Sarah suggests they replace some of the cash to avoid suspicion. When a local man, Dwight, discovers them at the crash site, Jacob attacks him and Hank eventually kills him to protect his brother. Later, Lou demands his share and threatens to go to the authorities. Sarah tricks Lou into a 'confession' of murder, but a confrontation leads to a shootout where Lou and his wife, Nancy, are killed. As the FBI begins investigating the crash, Hank tries to return the money, but Sarah convinces him to keep it. When a rogue agent, Baxter, posing as an FBI agent, tries to seize the money, Hank kills him. Finally, a guilt-ridden Jacob demands Hank kill him to frame Baxter. Hank kills Jacob and eventually burns the money to ensure it can never be traced.
- First release year
- 1998
- Runtime (minutes)
- 121
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom; Germany; France; Japan
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Sam Raimi
- Writers
- Scott B. Smith · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Bill Paxton · Hank Mitchell; Billy Bob Thornton · Jacob Mitchell; Bridget Fonda · Sarah Mitchell; Brent Briscoe · Lou Chambers; Gary Cole · Vernon Bokovsky / FBI Agent Neil Baxter; Jack Walsh · Tom Butler; Chelcie Ross · Sheriff Carl Jenkins; Becky Ann Baker · Nancy Chambers; Tom Carey · Dwight Stephanson
- Genres
- crime thriller; neo-noir
- Themes
- morality; greed; trust; consequences of crime
- Tone and mood
- somber; stark; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- crime; thriller; neo-noir; mystery
- Source material / true-story basis
- Scott B. Smith's 1993 novel
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film was met with critical acclaim and was praised for its production, storytelling, performances, and direction, despite underperforming at the box office.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 82 · scale: 100 · review count: 28
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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