"Marty (Dan Hedaya), the owner of a sleazy country-western bar hires cynical private detective Visser (M. Emmet Walsh) to murder his wife Abbey (Frances McDormand) and her lover Ray (John Getz), one of Marty's employees, who have run away together. Visser, never intending to to do the killings, falsifies pictures showing the murdered bodies of Abbey and Ray, collects his money from Marty, and then shoots him, leaving his body slumped in his office. Ray, returning to the bar to pick up some money he is owed, finds the body. Believing that Marty has been killed by Abbey, Ray, in an memorable scene, drags Marty's body to his car and cleans up the bloody floor, using his windbreaker. He drives to a deserted field where, in a brutal, memorable scene he discovers that Marty is still alive and kills him. Ray, stunned and disgusted by what he has done returns to his apartment where Abbey is sleeping. Visser, having returned to the bar to retrieve a very distinctive lighter he has left, finds the body gone and goes looking for Ray, shooting and killing him as Ray stands in front of the window, trying to tell Abbey what he has done. Abbey, not knowing of Marty's murder, believes Marty has killed Ray. She then has a final confrontation with Visser, who she believes to be Marty as she fights for her life. Blood Simple with its complicated plot twists and superb performances by all of the cast is one of the best American independent films of its decade. While made on a shoe string budget, the film with a brilliant screenplay, and masterful direction and production all by Joel and Ethan Coen wisely uses character and plot to involve its audience, rather than splashy special effects. The result is an small masterpiece. The entire cast gives the performances of their careers, particularly, Frances McDormand as Abbey, who never quite knows what is going on and the superb character actor E. Emmet Walsh who is unforgettable in the ironic, darkly humorous final sequence. This stylish, low-budget noir-style thriller was a remarkable and compelling debut for the Coen brothers, who went on to make, among other fine films, the highly acclaimed Fargo."