In Jacob, Thornton embodies a depressed, virginal drunk. The lonely, older brother to Hank, Jacob has nothing, save his dog, spare mattress and messy apartment. Jacob casually admits these details as a way to confess that keeping the money is as worthless as his life. On paper, Jacob reads as the typical Thornton character: the good-hearted loser with a drinking problem. In contrast to Thornton’s profane and loud turns in “Bad Santa” or “Goliath,” Jacob is soft-spoken and aloof, helplessly stuttering, puttering and wincing. For those who think Thornton always plays the badass, Jacob is the direct opposite, revealing the actor’s too-rarely-tapped range. “I mean hell, Hank, I’ve never even kissed a girl,” Jacob says. “You know, if me becoming rich is gonna change all that, you know I’m all for it.” It’s heartbreaking because of the honesty in Thornton’s performance contrasted against how clearly Raimi and Smith foreshadow the tragedy to come.

As Sarah, Fonda is also given more dimension than the typical girl-next-door parts for which she was known. Sarah is introduced as a heavenly sight, an angel standing pregnant and naked in the room of her soon-to-be-born daughter. When Sarah is told about the money, she desires only to protect the small, nice life her family has. But like Hank, greed quickly infects her mind. While working at the library, her job comes second to investigating how the plane crashed. Soon, she’s making suggestions to Hank’s stories, enabling him with lines like, “Nobody’d ever believe you’d be capable of doing what you’ve done.”

In a last ditch effort, she pleads her case. Through tears, she wonders what life would be like without the money. “What about me? Spending the rest of my life, eight hours a day, with a fake smile plastered on my face checking out books,” Sarah says to Hank. “And then coming home to cook dinner for you, the same meals over and over again, whatever the week's coupons will allow.”

Briscoe, a character actor known for turns in “Twin Peaks” and “Sling Blade,” is the loudest of all the leads as Lou. But his volume is necessary to the story, further complicating Jacob and Hank’s family dynamics. As Jacob’s best friend, Lou is the brother Hank isn’t. “You know we don’t have one thing in common me and (Hank), except maybe our last name,” Jacob tells Lou. “You’re more like a brother to me than he is.” Unlike Hank, Lou keeps Jacob’s attention with silly jokes and stories. Jacob and Lou regularly hang out at bars, taking beers with shots of whiskey. Eventually, Lou bumps into another patron and starts a fight. Such a temperament is a risk to Hank’s plan of quietly keeping the money. Lou could ruin everything, and Hank tries to convince Jacob of Lou’s reckless nature.