Blood Simple

Though it hasn't been around long enough to achieve cult film status, this tongue-in-cheek thriller from independent filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen seems bound for cultdom. The story, which is set in rural Texas, begins with what looks like a simple lover's triangle. But when the wife and her boyfriend decide to bump off the husband, things start to get very complicated. Double crosses and triples crosses abound in a plot that has more bends than Cecil the Seasick Serpent. Clever scripting, good acting (especially by character actor M. Emmett Walsh), almost unbearable tension, and a superior sense of humor guarantee that Blood Simple will have a long shelf life.