A Simple Plan

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2:26

A Simple Plan

R

1998

2h 1m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

76 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

While in the woods near their small town, upstanding local Hank Mitchell (Bill Paxton), his dim brother Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton) and their friend Lou (Brent Briscoe) discover a crashed plane with two things in it -- a dead pilot, and a stash of more than four million dollars. Although Hank is reluctant to keep the money, Jacob and Lou convince him otherwise, and they devise a plan to split the fortune. Things quickly go wrong, however, dramatically affecting the trio and those around them.

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Critics Consensus

A Simple Plan is a riveting crime thriller full of emotional tension.

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Sight & Sound

Jun 18, 2012

[Raimi] austerely rejects hyped-up camera tricks and jokey shock effects and creates living, complex characters whose fates we care about. The result is easily his finest film to date.

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Sep 7, 2011

A

A Simple Plan is lean, elegant, and emotionally complex - a marvel of backwoods classicism.

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Glenn Lovell

Variety

Jul 22, 2008

Perfect capers gone horribly, inexorably awry have always kept audiences squirming. But just when we think we've seen it all, Raimi offers a few new wrinkles.

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Adrian Martin

Film Critic: Adrian Martin

Jul 30, 2025

3/5

A Simple Plan is a modest, somewhat familiar film – at times it seems like Fargo (1995) without the cartoonish excess – but its execution is impressively effective.

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Jan 16, 2025

4.5/5

Sam Raimi at what is certainly his most understated and arguably his most overwhelming. It's a rabbit hole of ruination in rural America that complements "Se7en" as a reflection of the rot roiling beneath our surfaces and has lost none of its sting.

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Emilie Black

Cinema Crazed

Dec 28, 2024

This is a strong neo-noir film with thriller elements and a whole lot going on for the it. The cinematography, the writing, the direction, the acting, the music, there is so much here that the film comes together perfectly.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 26, 2026

A Simple Plan = a 4.5 star Movie!

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Simon R

@RT64486026 Aug 2, 2026

Paxton and Thornton are particularly compelling. I've rewatched a few times now, and the twists and turns always amaze me.

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Josh G

@Parsifal83 Aug 1, 2026

A simple premise spirals into an increasingly absorbing study of greed, guilt, and desperation. It's an effective thriller, though its writing never quite reaches the level of moral complexity its premise seems to promise.

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m S

@misslecommand Jul 11, 2026

average at best. with the star power it should've been much better

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Joe F

@TwinkletoesMcGee Jun 24, 2026

There is not one misstep in the entire film. When people talk about their favorite noir or thriller films, this isn’t a Top 10 pick… this is a Top 3. One of my all time favorites.

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RichardAB T

@PoorDearRichard Apr 4, 2026

This story becomes a slow, suffocating weight—the kind that makes you hope things will turn out, even as you sense it’s all a bad idea. It’s tragic, overwhelming at times, and built on the uncomfortable truth that trust can crumble the moment pressure hits. The acting is completely believable across the board. Billy Bob Thornton is great, but Bill Paxton carries the film with a performance that feels jittery, anxious, and painfully real. He plays the unraveling with such honesty that every moment feels heavier. Their dynamic makes each moment more unsettling, making this film a solid, tense, unraveling ride.

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Sam Raimi

Director

Bill Paxton

Hank Mitchell

Billy Bob Thornton

Jacob Mitchell

Brent Briscoe

Lou Chambers

Bridget Fonda

Sarah Mitchell

Jack Walsh

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A Simple Plan: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

While in the woods near their small town, upstanding local Hank Mitchell (Bill Paxton), his dim brother Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton) and their friend Lou (Brent Briscoe) discover a crashed plane with two things in it -- a dead pilot, and a stash of more than four million dollars. Although Hank is reluctant to keep the money, Jacob and Lou convince him otherwise, and they devise a plan to split the fortune. Things quickly go wrong, however, dramatically affecting the trio and those around them.

Director: Sam Raimi
Producer: Adam Schroeder
Screenwriter: Scott B. Smith
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, Mutual Film Company
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 12, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $16.3M
Runtime: 2h 1m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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