Why Billy Bob Thornton’s Classic Thriller Still Feels Like His Greatest Movie 28 Years Later

A role after Sling Blade

Thornton had appeared in films before his breakthrough with 1996’s Sling Blade, which he wrote and directed. The character study showcased his range and was followed by another major performance in A Simple Plan.

In Raimi’s 1998 film, Thornton plays Jacob, whose brother Hank, played by Bill Paxton, takes the lead after the men discover a crashed plane in the Midwestern wilderness. Brent Briscoe plays Lou, who joins them as they confront the prospect of keeping the cash inside.

A change for Raimi

A Simple Plan was a departure for Raimi, known for Darkman and the original Evil Dead trilogy. His work with special effects, horror and broad comedy made the subdued drama of greed and betrayal an unexpected fit.

The film presents the characters as flawed people rather than polished criminals. Its attention to their ordinary habits gives Thornton, Paxton and Briscoe room to portray men whose choices feel grounded in their rural Minnesota setting.

The money tests Jacob

Jacob’s apparent naivety does not prevent him from seeing an appeal in the money. Thornton conveys that spark when Jacob imagines stealing it as being “like Robin Hood.” Hank proposes holding onto the cash until the snow melts and authorities might find the plane. But the men are inexperienced, and Jacob accidentally mentions the aircraft to people passing by. Their attempt to keep the discovery secret gives way to violence.

A different Midwestern crime story

The film has been compared with the Coen brothers’ Fargo, another crime story set in the Midwest that arrived in 1996. The two films share a regional setting, but A Simple Plan takes a more restrained approach to its characters and their moral choices.

Raimi’s film adapts a novel by Scott B. Smith and centers on the consequences of an extraordinary find for three ordinary men. Thornton’s performance makes Jacob’s small gestures compelling as the secret becomes harder to contain.