A Simple Plan is a 1998 neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Sam Raimi and written by Scott B. Smith, based on Smith's 1993 novel. The film stars Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, and Bridget Fonda. Set in rural Minnesota, the story follows brothers Hank (Paxton) and Jacob Mitchell (Thornton), who, along with Jacob's friend Lou (Brent Briscoe), discover a crashed plane containing $4.4 million in cash. The three men and Hank's wife Sarah (Fonda) go to great lengths to keep the money a secret but begin to doubt each other's trust, resulting in lies, deceit and murder.

Plot

Hank is a humble accountant at a feed mill in Wright County, Minnesota with a pregnant wife, Sarah. One morning, Hank, his wayward brother Jacob and their friend Lou Chambers stumble upon a crashed airplane in the woods. Inside is a dead man and a bag containing $4.4 million in $100 bills. Lou and Jacob persuade him not to turn the money in, so Hank proposes keeping the money at his house until spring when the snow melts and the plane is found. If at that point missing money isn't raised, they will share the loot. Seeing their truck on the side of the road, Sheriff Carl Jenkins stops by and chats, and Jacob blurts something relating to the plane. Trying to pursue it, Carl just gets double-talk. Carl leaves and the three men make a pact to keep the secret, but Hank breaks it and tells Sarah.

Awards