+ bobthestoic Agreed - I have seen Blood Simple at a movie theater six times over the years. He turned in the performance of his career, what a great bit of casting that was.
@@jabarebird Two lines was all it took in the film to show what an immoral person Leon Visser was: Marty: Got a job for you. Visser: Well, if the pay's right and it's legal I'll do it. Marty: It's not strictly legal. Visser: If the pay's right I'll do it.
@@JP1234815 don’t forget “Visser: Gimme a call whenever you wanna cut off my head. I can always crawl around without it.” That line just tells you everything about him
He's incredible in this film, this character has such a life and plays so well against the cold reserve of all the other characters. The character at once incredibly evil but the way he plays him as a "nice guy" brings an incredible almost psychotic charisma to it... lovely
No, the character is transparently grimy and cynical, sneering like an imp all through the picture. His whole routine is that he excels at coming across as jolly and dull, when in truth he’s very crafty and devious, which is how he warps the situation to his advantage until the last five minutes of the picture.
He elevates any movie he's featured in with his presence and talent - the Coens were typically astute in casting M. Emmet Walsh in Blood Simple, an early sign of their genius. also voiced the Cosmic Owl on Adventure Time :)
I loved the character actors of the 70s-80s. Harry Dean Stanton, Dabney Coleman, Warren Oates, Charles Durning. Better than most of the movie stars of the same time.
Yes! Also Ned Beatty, Allen Garfield, John Cazale, Joe Spinell, Peter Boyle, Robert Duvall, Joe Don Baker, Bruce Dern, Frederic Forrest... and many more. The Golden Age of character actors.
Love this guy! I was so pleasantly surprised to see him on season 3 of Sneaky Pete playing Margo Martindale's father. Still got it. He was the best thing about Blood Simple, which is a great movie.
Mr. Walsh has been one of 2 or 3 favorite actors for the past 30 odd years, and I've come to the conclusion that there's nothing that he can't do, and be excellent at the same time. If you're a fan of M. and haven't seen Clean and Sober, do yourself a favor and watch it. In my opinion he should've won a Best Supporting Actor for it.
Someone on IMDb who said he was his neighbor in Swanton once left a comment that said something like "he's old but he still gets around. I see him shoveling the snow on his walkway sometimes..." The comment was from 2014 or 2015, I think. I don't think IMDb has that comment feature anymore. Or it was moved behind a paywall.
Always a treat to see him in any film. If I were him I might have arranged to have my remains placed under a rock, just for the fun of using my burial to reference a memorable line from Blood Simple.
It's the character actors who make a film great , not the so called stars. I always watch the characters in the background and enjoy how they stay in their roles.
This is a good movie. It talks about how killing makes you stupid and puts you on tilt because now you're a murderer... So does Lying, cheating and stealing.... In the case here most recently, it has made the liars, cheaters and thieves more stupid than they were already.... No wonder the governance then.
IMO, the real star was Carter Burwell, who wrote his first movie music -- a haunting melody -- for Blood Simply. Burwell has since worked on several Coen Bros. movie.
Damn, I loved this man. Such a class act actor. His presence in a film just added so much. I just wish he'd had a lead in a movie. I can easily watch him for hours. And his real life persona is just as amazing and beautiful to watch and listen to as his characters. I do wish the boys would have put you in more of their movies along the way. You always brought the light. Thank you, M. Emmet Walsh.
I'm not sure what role he couldv'e played in some never shot scene, but I could so easily picture him filling some niche in Fargo, No Country for Old Men, Oh Brother, True Grit, etc.
This guy’s even more of a character than his characters. I think his technique mostly consists of trying to subdue his real personality, otherwise you’d never buy the performance.
Absolutely brilliant, terrifying performance. Brilliant movie. Walsh, Hedaya, and McDormand all became well known, but whatever happened to the actor who played the bartender?
Great question. Samm-Art Williams stayed pretty busy mostly in theater, it looks like. And John Getz (Ray) didn't really hit the big time, but kept working in films. The other three were much more successful, but overall the cast is just perfect for Blood Simple. It'll always have a special place in my heart.
@@crimony3054 It grossed 2.5 million, so who knows about the net. What Emmet gained from it was part of the Coen legend, and his pocket of hundreds. There is a great relatively recent interview with the Coens about the movie, and to say it was done on a shoestring is generous- is astonishing that it was made at all- Frances M wore many of her own clothes for wardrobe.
@@ktkt1825I think I saw that interview, too, and it sounds like they were down to where they just should have given up on getting it shown, but they kept at it. I'm so glad they did. Imagine if Frances McDormand and the Coens had just quit movies without getting started!
@@unclvinny Indeed! If you get a chance, watch 'The Story of Pixar'- how 5 Cal Arts students' passion formed a shoestring company pushing the cutting edge of CG only because Steve Jobs saw their potential-- amazing 'almost did not happen'.
I like it because it feels like the rest of the world is going by ignoring what's going on with the main characters. They're caught up in their weird problems, and outside it's a totally different scene.
joel 1114 I thought his performance was just corny. His character was way over the top and not believable or threatening in any way. I think his talents were much better suited to the character he played in The Jerk
You might want to re-watch Blood Simple, I think you might have overlooked one of the great performances, especially for a low budget movie. What I consider over the top would be almost anything Al Pacino or Nic Cage is in.
Agreed. His performance wasn’t enough to ruin the film or the character but it was definitely noticeably mediocre compared to how much he praised his abilities in this interview lol
@@hansmoffett9758I agree with you, but I also think it counts as 'over the top'. His performance perfectly matched the script, and what the Coens wanted, but their universe is usually a bit -- or a lot! -- crazy and out of the norm. His character and performance aren't "believable" as such, but they match the eerie mood they were going for. One of my all-time favorites. So glad I stumbled on this interview.
He was supposed to be threatening in a deceptive way, not some big lug action movie obvious type. The character was a sleazy good ole boy genial Texan who has seen a lot in life and knows how to deal with and manipulate people. And he's willing to do anything. Everything was perfect.
