Since debuting with the strange, film-noir thriller Blood Simple in 1984, Joel & Ethan Coen were becoming part of a new breed of filmmakers who work without the world of Hollywood and into their own independent vision. 1987's quirky comedy Raising Arizona proved their range into comedy while 1990's Miller's Crossing was a great ode to the gangster genre. 1991's Barton Fink about a writer battling writer's block gave the Coen Bros. their greatest achievement as the film won the Palme D'or at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. The duo returned with the 1994 big-budget studio film The Hudsucker Proxy which received mixed reviews and disappointing box office returns. The failure of that film made the brothers retreated back to their independent world for another eccentric film that would ultimately become one of the greatest films of the 1990s called Fargo.

Supposedly based on a true story, Fargo is set in a snowy little town called in Minnesota in 1987. A desperate car salesman's wife is kidnapped by a couple of men hired by her husband so he can get a hefty ransom from her father. Investigating a series of murders that are linked to the kidnaping is a pregnant, witty police chief from that small town. Written by the Coen Brothers with Joel as the director and Ethan as the producer (though both men really do both), Fargo is a witty, violent, quirky crime film that has all the ingredients into what makes the Coen Bros. one of the finest duos in cinema. Starring Joel Coen's wife and regular Frances McDormand plus longtime collaborator Steve Buscemi along with William H. Macy, Peter Stormare, John Carroll Lynch, Kristin Rudrud, Harve Presnell, Larry Brandenburg, and Steve Park. Fargo is a wonderful black comedy from the Coen Brothers.

It's a snowy day in the north as a car salesman named Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) is driving through the snow with another car in tow from his home in Minneapolis, Minnesota to a small town in Fargo, North Dakota. Through a connection from a mechanic named Shep Proudfoot (Steve Reevis), Jerry meets a couple of criminals. The first was small, talkative man named Carl Showalter (Steve Buscemi) and his partner is a tall, quiet man named Gaear Grimsrud (Peter Stormare). Due to money loans Jerry couldn't get from his father-in-law Wade (Harve Presnell), he plans a kidnaping on his wife Jean (Kristin Rudrud) as he asks Carl and Gaear to do the kidnaping while they split a hefty ransom. The deal is made as Jerry loans them a car he stole from his building.

Back at home in Minneapolis, Jerry has dinner with Wade, Jean, and their son Scotty (Tony Denman) while the next day, Jerry deals with irate customers over the deals of their cars. Then Jerry learns that he could get a loan from Wade as he talks to Shep to cancel the plan but it is too late as Carl and Gaear make it to Jerry's house as they kidnap Jean. Jerry returns home, frustrated over a deal that he and Wade had with Wade's business partner Stan Grossman (Larry Brandenburg), as he learned that Jean had been kidnapped. He decides to go with it as he tells Wade that Jean has been kidnapped and the kidnappers only must talk with just him.

On their way to their hideout, they come across a small town in Brainerd, Minnesota where they get stopped by a highway patrol officer (James Gaulke) over an unmarked license plate and all hell breaks loose as Gaear goes nuts and kills the officer and a couple of witnesses who passed by. Later that morning, a 7-month pregnant police chief in Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) wakes up to the crime scene with her partner Lou (Bruce Bohne) where she finds the victims. Thinking the killers weren't from her town, she starts an investigation while her husband Norman (John Carroll Lynch) would stop by to give her food for her appetite.

Marge learns that a car with a unmarked license plate had been stolen and actually was stopped in the town days earlier as she talks to two hookers (Larissa Kokernot and Melissa Peterman) about the description of the two men they were with. After another officer named Olsen (Cliff Rakerd) revealed that the car came from Minneapolis, Marge forges on with her investigation. Meanwhile back in Minneapolis, Wade is angry over the kidnaping and Jerry's role as the negotiator while Scotty is being anguished over his mother's disappearance. Carl and Gaear stop in a remote house up north in Minnesota with Jean being covered by a mask as they wait to call Jerry.

Marge goes to Minneapolis to talk with Jerry about the stolen car which he knows nothing about while she also talks with Shep, as Jerry feels he is in trouble as Carl calls and things get problematic. Carl goes to Minneapolis to pick up the money and he wants a full fee after what Gaear did to the three people in Brainerd. Marge takes a break to meet with an old school friend in Mike Yanagita (Steve Parks) who had called earlier to have lunch with Marge as they reminisce about old times and Mike who is reeling from his wife's succumbing to cancer. Carl goes out with another hooker (Michelle Hutchison) at a Jose Feliciano concert where after the show, Shep goes crazy over the interrogation he had to deal with from Marge.

Carl later calls Jerry for a drop of the money which Wade overhears as all hell breaks loose. With Marge's investigation getting much closer to what is really going on, she begins to suspect Jerry even more about the stolen car and learns the troubles and what all of it is really all about for this simple-minded, good-hearted police chief.

In a lot of ways, Fargo has all the elements that is needed in a true story from the Coen Brothers. Take the noir-style of Blood Simple, the eccentric comedy of Raising Arizona, the fast-talking dialogue and violent tone of Miller's Crossing, and the intense emotions of Barton Fink all into a mix and you get Fargo. The genius of the film really belongs to the Coen Brothers by creating a black comedy that is filled with a lot of intensity in terms of its emotions and situations along with morals. The film has a structure where it builds up to what is going to happen but it's really about is the results. The first act is Lundegaard talking to Carl and Gaear about the kidnaping and the act of it. The second act is Marge investigating the murders and what is going. Then there's the third act where everything comes to place in a classic film-noir set-up but its aftermath is filled with not just tragedy but a situation where no one really gains anything as Marge tries to come to terms in what it's all about.

The way the film is written is a genius into what Joel and Ethan Coen can do since they create situations that are very dark or areas where it can be pretty funny. The dialogue of the film definitely feels authentic since they're setting it in North-Midwest where everything has a bit of Scandinavian dialogue with people saying Ja. The area gives the film an eccentric feel with some great humor, even in the strangest of situations. The film's violence in comparison to other films at that time is a lot more brutal. Though not as bloody as the films of Quentin Tarantino or his imitators but the action and level of it is enough to make people feel queasy. It's a part of the genius in the Coen Brothers in terms of what they can do as storytellers.

Joel Coen's directing also leans into that classic film-noir style of slow close-ups and dark atmosphere, especially when the film reaches a dramatic intensity. The film also has that genre of caper films, which was becoming very popular at that time with Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket, but it's done in a dark, comic way that only the Coen Brothers could do. A lot of the film's comedy feels natural and even in their improvisation approach. Everything that Joel and Ethan do in the directing is filled with not just great camera angles shots but scenes that tells something, even through smaller characters as they fill in each clue to a mystery and what happens as the suspense builds up into a classic crescendo. It's truly a remarkable form of what directing is.

If Joel does most of the directing and Ethan does a lot in the producing situation, then there's their approach to editing in their alias of Roderick Jaynes. With Ethan's wife Tricia Cooke helping along, the film has a nice, leisurely paced feel with a very idiosyncratic structure in its 100-minute running time. The way the film is cut with a nice, stylized approach to editing, especially in moments where they show things that are happening but doesn't necessarily show the action itself. Helping Joel Coen in capturing his dark vision is their longtime cinematographer Roger Deakins who creates a wonderful epic, noir-style of photography from the night-time scene of Brainerd with Paul Bunyan statue to the snowy scenes where the snow serves as the light. Deakins' photography is brilliant in its mood and how it gives the film a sense of doom and relief.

The film's production designer Rich Heinrichs brings in a natural look to the homes and offices of the film's interior while Coen Brothers' longtime costume designer Mary Zophres brings in some realistic design to the winter clothing of the characters. Longtime sound editor Skip Lievsay and sound designer Allan Byer help create the dark, atmosphere of the film's exterior scenes with its natural sound of snow and winds. Finally, there's the dramatic, epic score of longtime Coen Bros. composer Carter Burwell who brings in huge arrangements and orchestral tones for the film's noir style and a wave of melancholia in the film's more dramatic moments as Burwell brings in one of his best film scores.

Finally, there's the film's cast that includes several quirky small characters whether its regular folk or anyone of the smaller supporting characters in the film. Everyone in that movie stands out with great, funny performances from Larry Brandenburg as Wade's business partner, Larissa Kokernot and Melissa Peterman as the hookers who are interrogated, Bruce Bohne and Cliff Rakerd as Marge's fellow policemen, and Tony Denman as Jerry's anguished son. Steve Parks gives a funny yet eerie performance as an old school friend of Marge who is hurt by loneliness that really is a much bigger role than it is in terms of the film's story. John Carroll Lynch is also excellent in his role as the loyal, loving Norm who does everything to take care fo his pregnant wife. Steve Reevis also stands out as the big Indian Shep who goes nuts when a caper plan falls apart.

Kristin Rudrud is wonderfully funny in her role as the victim with her physical comedic performance while in other scenes, she presents herself in a nice, innocent way as a loving mother/wife. Harve Presnell is also great in his role as the angry, opportunistic Wade who is kind of a bully but for all the right reasons as he desperately tries to save his daughter but is not merely a good man since he too is filled with greed. Peter Stormare is amazing as the quiet but chilling Gaear where when he's quiet, he's really dangerous while giving out some hilarious moments in doing nothing as Stormare shines in one of his greatest performances. Steve Buscemi is also funny as the talkative, opportunistic Carl Showalter with his role in being the leader of the plans while wanting to have a good time only to get into some trouble. Buscemi brings in the same kind of humor and attitude to the performance we often expect from him.

William H. Macy gives a classic performance in one of his finest of loser roles that he's been known for playing. In Jerry Lundegaard, he plays a desperate loser who often gets bullied on a bit at work and from his father-in-law and mindlessly plans a prank. Macy brings in a lot of torment, insecurity, and humor into the character while knowing that he's not a good guy but he's not a bad guy either. Macy gives an amazing performance as a fool who loses sight of what's important.

Frances McDormand delivers an amazing performance as the smart, simple-hearted woman Marge Gunderson. McDormand shines above all others with her funny dialogue and accent while reminding her fellow cops about their abilities while not trying to be better than them. McDormand brings in a lot of humor to her dialogue while as a cop, doing the right thing and slowly finding clues without second-guessing. There's an intelligence and heart that lies in Marge Gunderson and McDormand hits all the right notes, especially when she meets an old friend that gives her a clue into what is going on. In the scene where Marge looks around Jerry's desk, McDormand gives her best moments where she looks around trying to figure something out as she confirms her suspicions. When the film nears its ending, McDormand reminds the film's audience and a character about the sins that is committed in the film. It's truly remarkable in a performance that everyone can relate to.

When Fargo was released in early 1996, the film drew widespread acclaim and wonderful box office numbers as the film won numerous awards including several Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, and a Best Supporting Actor nod for William H. Macy. The film won 2 with an Original Screenplay prize for the Coen Brothers while Frances McDormand took home the Best Actress prize. While some considered it the best film the Coen Brothers ever made, others though said it would be their next picture that would be their greatest work to date.

Fans of the Coen Brothers will no doubt regard Fargo as one of their best films led by a great performance from Frances McDormand and wonderful supporting performances from William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, and Peter Stormare. Anyone who has a knack for caper films, black comedy, and noir-touches will love this film immediately. This is truly one of the greatest films of the 1990s and also, of all-time. Anyone who loves the early Coen Brothers films will indeed find a lot of references and techniques that is brought to a film so highly original as Fargo did.

Coen Brothers Reviews: Blood Simple - Raising Arizona - Miller's Crossing - Barton Fink - (The Hudsucker Proxy) - The Big Lebowski - O Brother, Where Art Thou? - The Man Who Wasn't There - (Intolerable Cruelty) - (The Ladykillers (2004 Remake)) - No Country for Old Men - Burn After Reading - A Serious Man

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age