Two brothers & a friend from a small town in Minnesota (Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton and Brent Briscoe) happen upon a crashed plane in the woods, which contains over $4 million in cash. They assume it's drug money and hatch a simple plan to sit on the money until spring when the plane is discovered; if no one legitimately claims it they'll divvy it up. But things don't go according to plan due to idiocy, mistrust and greed. Bridget Fonda is on hand as the main protagonist's wife.

Directed by Sam Raimi before his ultra-success with the Spider-Man trilogy, "A Simple Plan" (1998) was written by Scott B. Smith based on his page-turning book of the same name (there are enough changes to make both worthwhile). The wintery Minnesota setting is fitting for the bleak psychological drama. Speaking of which, the best thing about this movie is its exploration of human nature and how "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil," as the Bible puts it.

The movie effectively shows how basically good and normal people can be corrupted by the temptation of easy wealth; so corrupted that he or she is suddenly willing to murder, lie and connive. The story works so well because of the three well-defined characters. We've all met these types in real life: The wholesome, educated man who's not quite living up to his potential and yet is generally satisfied; the loser, screw-up who's never been with a girl even though he's in his 40s; and the annoying redneck hick.

The film runs 2 hours and was shot in Minnesota (Delano, St. Paul & Golden Valley) and Wisconsin (Ashland).

GRADE: A-

Sam Raimi's snowbound thriller is quite simply one of his best films, up there with the first two EVIL DEAD movies in terms of entertainment value. It's also the director's most mature film, a piece which shows that he has progressed in the last twenty years - unlike John Carpenter, who has alternatively been going downhill since then! The plot of this film constantly twists and turns all over the place, offering plenty of scenes brimming with tension and suspense.

Like most gems these day, this was missed by audiences who were probably lured into watching the latest no-brain blockbuster instead of this classic. It's a real shame when talent is ignored by mainstream audiences, especially when the film in question is so darned good. Raimi makes the most of his chilly locations, offering up the same kind of isolated cold as found in FARGO, and also works wonders with a relatively small cast. Bill Paxton is engaging as the everyman who becomes embroiled in murder and is forced to kill multiple people; Paxton may not be a brilliant actor but I've always enjoyed his performances. However, the real shining star here is Billy Bob Thornton, who gives an accurate and moving portrayal of Jacob, Paxton's simple brother who is unable to cope with the complex lies he is forced to tell.

The rest of the cast all do very good jobs, with a surprising turn from Bridget Fonda as Paxton's wife who is just as corrupt as her husband. Gary Cole also gets to silently brood and strip wallpaper with his baleful eyes in a thoroughly nasty turn. You might be mistaken for thinking this is typical family fare, but it's not, and things get very dark when people start dying. But the film's greatest achievement is slowly creating the people on screen and giving life to them in character-building scenes which really make us care and feel concern. Quite simply, this is one of the best thrillers I've seen of the decade, and I can't recommend it any more highly.

Hank (Bill Paxton) is a hard worker with loving pregnant wife Sarah (Bridget Fonda) in a small Minnesota town. Hank goes on a drive with his brother Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton) and Jacob's friend Lou (Brent Briscoe). After crashing their car, they go off into the woods and find a crashed small plane. In it, they find a bag full of money. Hank wants to go to the police but he is convinced by the other two to keep the money. Hank comes up with a simple plan. He hides the money until the plane is discovered. If nobody comes looking for it, they will split up the $4.4 million among the three of them.

Like the title suggests, this is a relatively simple movie. Of course, Hank's plan is never going to work especially with those two idiot loudmouth friends. Anyways, Hank breaks his promise not to tell his wife almost immediately. The tension builds and builds as these bumbling idiots get into a worst and worst situation. The snowy landscape gives the movie its desolate doomed atmosphere. Billy Bob does a great idiot but Bill Paxton's needy morality is the kicker. He starts out as a reasonable everyday man with morals. Director Sam Raimi fills every scene with a threatening tension.