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* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler: After being shot death by Abby, Visser simply laughs at the dark twist of her thinking he was Marty and dies calmly.]]



* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: The film goes to agonizing lengths to show just how extremely difficult and messy disposing of a corpse actually is, from cleaning up the crime scene to the sheer physical strain of hauling a fully grown person around and all the while being constantly on guard so as not to be caught. By the end of the night, Ray is left extremely physically and emotionally shaken.

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* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: The film goes to agonizing lengths to show just how extremely difficult and messy disposing of a corpse actually is, from cleaning up the crime scene to being constantly on guard so as not to be caught to the sheer physical strain of hauling a fully grown person around and all the while being constantly on guard so as not to be caught.digging a grave. By the end of the night, Ray is left extremely physically and emotionally shaken.

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* TheExitIsThatWay: After Marty fails to kill Abby at Ray's house, he angrily drives off down the street...and returns a moment later driving in the opposite direction, since the street is a dead end.



* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Meurice just kind of drops out of the movie. He's last seen comforting Abby, after Ray told her he buried Marty alive, tries to convince her Marty is still alive and then leaves to look for him and never appearce again.

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* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Meurice just kind of drops out of the movie. He's last seen comforting Abby, after Ray told her he buried Marty alive, tries to convince her Marty is still alive and then leaves to look for him and never appearce appears again.
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to:

-->-- '''Loren Visser'''
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* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: The film goes to agonizing lengths to show just how extremely difficult and messy disposing of a corpse actually is, from cleaning up the crime scene to the physical strain of hauling a body and al the while being constantly on guard so as not to be caught.

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* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: The film goes to agonizing lengths to show just how extremely difficult and messy disposing of a corpse actually is, from cleaning up the crime scene to the sheer physical strain of hauling a body fully grown person around and al all the while being constantly on guard so as not to be caught.caught. By the end of the night, Ray is left extremely physically and emotionally shaken.
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[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_246.jpeg]]

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[[quoteright:300:https://static.[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_246.jpeg]]



''Blood Simple.'' is a 1984 Neo-Noir thriller about a Texas bar-owner who is certain that his wife is cheating on him and hires a private detective to spy on her. But that's only the beginning.

Written and directed by Creator/TheCoenBrothers, this was their debut film and features many of their odd trademarks. The cast includes Creator/FrancesMcDormand, Creator/JohnGetz, Creator/DanHedaya, and Creator/MEmmetWalsh.

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''Blood Simple.'' Simple'' is a 1984 Neo-Noir American neo-noir crime thriller about a Texas bar-owner bar owner who is certain that his wife is cheating on him and hires a private detective to spy on her. But that's only the beginning.

Written and directed by Creator/TheCoenBrothers, this was their debut film and it features many of their odd stylistic trademarks. The cast includes Creator/FrancesMcDormand, Creator/JohnGetz, Creator/DanHedaya, and Creator/MEmmetWalsh.



* AllThereInTheScript: The credits only identify Visser as "Private Detective."

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* AllThereInTheScript: The credits only identify Visser as "Private Detective.""PrivateDetective".
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* NoEnding: [[spoiler:After Visser gets shot by Abby and lies bleeding out under her sink]] the movie just kind of stops.


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* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Meurice just kind of drops out of the movie. He's last seen comforting Abby, after Ray told her he buried Marty alive, tries to convince her Marty is still alive and then leaves to look for him and never appearce again.

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* LastNameBasis: No one ever calls Marty by his first name, Julian.

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* LastNameBasis: No one ever calls Marty by his first name, Julian.Julian, and you'd be forgiven for thinking "Marty" is his first name.


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* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: The film goes to agonizing lengths to show just how extremely difficult and messy disposing of a corpse actually is, from cleaning up the crime scene to the physical strain of hauling a body and al the while being constantly on guard so as not to be caught.
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Written and directed by Creator/TheCoenBrothers, this was their debut film and features many of their odd trademarks. The cast includes Creator/FrancesMcDormand, John Getz, Creator/DanHedaya, and Creator/MEmmetWalsh.

to:

Written and directed by Creator/TheCoenBrothers, this was their debut film and features many of their odd trademarks. The cast includes Creator/FrancesMcDormand, John Getz, Creator/JohnGetz, Creator/DanHedaya, and Creator/MEmmetWalsh.
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* DisproportionateRetribution: Downplayed as this is (probably) only a secondary motive of what happens, but Visser still doesn't take lightly to being insulted by Marty...
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* OnlySaneMan: Meurice, Ray's fellow bartender at Marty's club. Ironically—or perhaps fittingly—he's LockedOutOfTheLoop and isn't aware of what's going on between the quartet of main characters.

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* OnlySaneMan: Meurice, Ray's fellow bartender at Marty's club. Ironically—or perhaps fittingly—he's LockedOutOfTheLoop (even more than the characters listed under the respective heading above) and isn't aware ''at all'' of what's going on between the quartet of main characters.
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* PoorCommunicationKills: Abby and Ray could have avoided a lot of trouble if they had just talked to each other. Somewhat justified in that the conversation topic is one almost anybody would reasonably be extremely uncomfortable to honestly talk about.

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* PoorCommunicationKills: Abby and Ray could have avoided a lot of trouble if they had just talked to each other. Somewhat justified [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in that the conversation topic is one almost anybody would reasonably be extremely uncomfortable to honestly talk about.
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* PoorCommunicationKills: Abby and Ray could have avoided a lot of trouble if they had just talked to each other.

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* PoorCommunicationKills: Abby and Ray could have avoided a lot of trouble if they had just talked to each other. Somewhat justified in that the conversation topic is one almost anybody would reasonably be extremely uncomfortable to honestly talk about.
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* HaveYouToldAnyoneElse: [[spoiler:"Nobody knows you hired me?"]] Unlike the typical examples, even perceptive audience is ''not'' supposed to understand that the question is really ''this'' trope until a bit later.

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* HaveYouToldAnyoneElse: [[spoiler:"Nobody knows you hired me?"]] Unlike the typical examples, even perceptive audience is ''not'' supposed to understand that the perfectly natural question is really ''this'' trope until a bit later.
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** Visser doesn't know Marty secreted one of his doctored photos of Ray and Abby's "corpses" into his safe.

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** Visser doesn't know Marty secreted one of his doctored photos of Ray and Abby's "corpses" into his safe.safe - and doesn't know that [[spoiler:nobody has ever found his lighter...]]
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* HaveYouToldAnyoneElse: "Nobody knows you hired me?"

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* HaveYouToldAnyoneElse: "Nobody [[spoiler:"Nobody knows you hired me?"me?"]] Unlike the typical examples, even perceptive audience is ''not'' supposed to understand that the question is really ''this'' trope until a bit later.
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* ChekhovsGun: Played with all over the place. It's a vital part of the plot that the characters keep losing or forgetting about the various items presented to us, the viewers, as obvious PlotCoupons. There's also an actual gun, namely Abby's pearl-handled .38. The number of bullets it contains is also a ChekhovsGun, as indeed are the ''chambers'' they're in - if you pay attention to how they're loaded near the start, you'll know exactly when it will and won't fire. And finally, there's one RedHerring - [[spoiler: Visser's lighter being forgotten on Marty's desk is never important.]]

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* ChekhovsGun: Played with all over the place. It's a vital part of the plot that the characters keep losing or forgetting about the various items presented to us, the viewers, as obvious PlotCoupons. There's also an actual gun, namely Abby's pearl-handled .38. The number of bullets it contains is also a ChekhovsGun, as indeed are the ''chambers'' they're in - if you pay attention to how they're loaded near the start, you'll know exactly when it will and won't fire. And finally, there's one RedHerring of sorts - [[spoiler: Visser's lighter being forgotten on Marty's desk is never important.gets discovered.]]
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* NoNameGiven: M. Emmet Walsh's scene stealing PrivateDetective is actually named Loren Visser.

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* NoNameGiven: M. Emmet Walsh's scene stealing PrivateDetective is actually named Loren Visser. His first name is shown engraved on his Zippo lighter early in the film, but his last name is not mentioned.
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* EvenEvilHasStandards: Seemingly played straight with Visser's refusal to murder the couple. Averted later when he has no problem murdering Ray, framing them for it, and ultimately trying to kill them to cover his tracks.

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* EvenEvilHasStandards: Seemingly played straight with Visser's refusal to murder the couple. Averted later when he has no problem murdering Ray, Marty, framing them Abby for it, and ultimately trying to kill them her and Ray to cover his tracks.



* ExiledToTheCouch: Ray and Aby discuss who takes the couch at Ray's place.

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* ExiledToTheCouch: Ray and Aby Abby discuss who takes the couch at Ray's place.
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* EvenEvilHasStandards: Seemingly played straight with Visser's refusal to murder the couple. Averted later when he has no problem killing them to protect himself.

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* EvenEvilHasStandards: Seemingly played straight with Visser's refusal to murder the couple. Averted later when he has no problem killing murdering Ray, framing them for it, and ultimately trying to kill them to protect himself.cover his tracks.
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No longer a trope.


* YourCheatingHeart: The heroine, of all people.

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* ChekhovsGun: Subverted. It's a vital part of the plot that the characters keep losing or forgetting about the various items presented to us, the viewers, as obvious PlotCoupons.
** There's also an actual gun, namely the pearl-handled .38 owned by the heroine. The number of bullets it contains is also a ChekhovsGun.

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* ChekhovsGun: Subverted. Played with all over the place. It's a vital part of the plot that the characters keep losing or forgetting about the various items presented to us, the viewers, as obvious PlotCoupons.
**
PlotCoupons. There's also an actual gun, namely the Abby's pearl-handled .38 owned by the heroine. 38. The number of bullets it contains is also a ChekhovsGun.ChekhovsGun, as indeed are the ''chambers'' they're in - if you pay attention to how they're loaded near the start, you'll know exactly when it will and won't fire. And finally, there's one RedHerring - [[spoiler: Visser's lighter being forgotten on Marty's desk is never important.]]
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Added Locked Out of the Loop

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* LockedOutOfTheLoop: An interesting case where ''every major character'' is locked out of the loop to some degree due to a mixture of intentional deceit and PoorCommunicationKills, to the point that an observant viewer knows more than all of the cast combined.
** Marty is under the impression Visser actually went through with killing Ray and Abby, not realizing the photographic proof the private detective provided was actually fabricated.
** Visser doesn't know Marty secreted one of his doctored photos of Ray and Abby's "corpses" into his safe.
** Ray thinks that Abby shot Marty when Visser actually pulled the trigger and framed her for it. He's likely not even aware Visser exists by the time the private eye snipes him at the climax.
** Abby knows the least out of anybody, with Ray assuming she shot Marty, but for some reason never explicitly telling her he assumes this. Like Ray, she's not aware that Visser is involved until she fatally shoots him thinking he's Marty.
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* ThereAreNoPolice: Despite all of the gunfire and various altercations throughout the film, there are never any police present at any time, unlike the Coen's later films (especially ''Film/{{Fargo}}'') in which the police play a large role in the plot.
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Written and directed by Creator/TheCoenBrothers, this was their debut film and features many of their odd trademarks. The cast includes Creator/FrancesMcDormand, John Getz, Creator/DanHedaya, and M. Emmett Walsh.

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Written and directed by Creator/TheCoenBrothers, this was their debut film and features many of their odd trademarks. The cast includes Creator/FrancesMcDormand, John Getz, Creator/DanHedaya, and M. Emmett Walsh.
Creator/MEmmetWalsh.
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* OnlySaneMan: Meurice, Ray's fellow bartender at Marty's club. Ironically—or perhaps fittingly—he's LockedOutOfTheLoop and isn't aware of what's going on between the quartet of main characters.
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* SympatheticAdulterer: Abby, the closest thing the movie has to a heroic character, cheats on her husband Marty, who's generally an unpleasant jerk.

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* SympatheticAdulterer: Abby, the closest thing the movie has to a heroic character, cheats on her husband Marty, who's generally an unpleasant jerk.jerk and ultimately violent.
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* SympatheticAdulterer: Abby, the closest thing the movie has to a heroic character, cheats on her husband Marty, who's generally an unpleasant jerk.
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* {{Greed}}: Visser says that he has gone "money simple" when offered $10,000 by Marty.
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* DigitalDestruction: Not much effort was put into the UK DVD release. It has a generally low-resolution look, and scratches and cue dots[[note]]dots on the top right of the frame to tell the cinema projectionist when to change reels[[/note]] can sometimes be seen.
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* BetterManhandleTheMurderWeapon: Subverted. Ray gives the murder weapon a good manhandling as soon as he sees it, but the gun is never examined by the police, so this doesn't matter.

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