There is really nothing new in "Fargo." We've been overexposed to films trying to tell about small town life from all angles: boredom, Norman Rockwellian, comic, heroic, and criminal.
"Fargo" attempts to do too much. The Coen brothers try to give us comedy with kernels of satire, documentary elements, and predictable suspense. Into this mix one needs to add violence, and in this they succeed.
The script loosely tries to tell a true story that took place in 1987 Minnesota. A businessman facing bankruptcy and desperately needing money hires two hoodlums (Showalter and Grimsrud) to kidnap his wife. Jerry, the debt-ridden businessman promises to divide the ransom money with the hoods.
Of course reality has different ideas. Mr. Murphy in his most active form screws up everything that Jerry has planned. Unplanned murder results while the kidnapping is taking place. When the bodies are found the next morning, the pregnant police chief of Brainerd, Paul Bunyan's home (Marge Gunderson), accurately evaluates how the crime occurred. She follows the lead concerning a car identified by witnesses back to Jerry's business (he runs a car lot).
William Macy gives the best performance of the film as Jerry. Jerry is a petty liar, but really inexperienced at crime. . He is totally incompetent in covering up the car's identity to General Motors. In another flub, he tries to cancel the kidnapping plans, but doesn't know how to contact the hired help. Jerry tries hard to resolve his problems but he is confused and in over his head.
The story line is distracted too many times by development of the various characters with trivial details. The 98 minutes of the film seem more like 180. There are good things about this film. There were moments I liked. The best that I can say is watch it once on a VCR (and only if you control the remote so that you can fast forward through the irrelevant parts).
This story of a crime gone wrong unravels when a Minneapolis car salesman, Jerry Lundegaard has his wife kidnapped by two thugs. The idea is that the ...More at HotMovieSale.com
Nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture, and winner of two (Actress and Original Screenplay), this darkly amusing (Lost Angeles Times) thri...More at Buy.com
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