Review: Fargo




Fargo is a great movie. Created by the Coen brothers in 1996, Fargo tells the true story of a murder in Brainerd, Minnesota… well, sort of. Many of the events that take place are unconnected in real life, but the film stitches them together. The story is mostly fictional.

The movie begins in Fargo, North Dakota. At a bar, Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) meets two hitmen, played by Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare. They plan to kidnap Jerry’s wife and have her wealthy father pay the ransom, giving Jerry and the hitmen $40,000 each. Jerry plans to use the money on real estate.

Back in Minneapolis, we see Jerry’s normal family life. Jerry is a car salesman with plans to make it big. Things go wrong when Jerry’s father-in-law (Harve Presnell) decides to give Jerry the money, making the kidnapping useless. He’s too late to call it off. The hitmen kidnap his wife and head out to hide in Fargo. It gets even worse after the hitmen have to kill three people to avoid being caught.

This is where things get interesting. We meet our true protagonist, Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand), a cop from Brainerd. She is called to investigate the murders, and now she must figure out how it happened.

The shift in perspective makes this film interesting. We see Jerry make the switch from anti-hero to antagonist. This is done very well. Marge is a character who is simple, but she is relatable, so viewers can understand who she is and her purpose well. She is a perfect protagonist. In fact, all of the characters in this film feel very distinct, which is something the Coen brothers are great at.

The acting and writing is great. The writing talent of Joel and Ethan Coen shines brightly in this film. It’s interesting to see how each of the characters interact with each other. Buscemi and Stormare’s mostly one-sided conversations are funny to watch. Most people in the movie have Minnesota accents and catchphrases (“Yah, you betcha!”), making the characters seem funny though still realistic.

The film also has great cinematography. It perfectly catches the look of a very snowy day. These snowy outdoors shots make the film feel very immersive.

This movie did so many things well, and it was very original. It is definitely worthy of being on the AFI’s top 100 movies list.