The iconic Midwestern dark comedy Fargo showcases the Coen Brothers at the height of their deft skills. Desperate, indebted car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (William H.Macy, in an Academy-Award nominated performance) hires two lowlifes (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife so Jerry can fleece his rich father-in-law (HarvePresnell) for the “ransom.” Things go wrong on a blizzardy Minnesota night and three bodies end up frozen in the snow. In comes the more-than-capable, warm-hearted, and especially pregnant local police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand, in an Academy-Award winning performance) to look into the oddest string of violence to hit her quiet town. The Coens and company made the preeminent homespun murder story, replete with the everyday friendliness, humility, and irreverence, which gives this underrepresented region of the country its particular color.
“4 Stars. To watch [Fargo] is to experience steadily mounting delight, as you realize the filmmakers have taken enormous risks, gotten away with them and made a movie that is completely original, and as familiar as an old shoe.” – Roger Ebert
“[Fargo] is another daring black comedy by one of the most consistently inventive moviemaking teams of the last decade, brothers Joel and Ethan Coen.” – Gene Siskel
