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1996

 

Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson

William H. Macy as Jerry Lundegaard

Steve Buscemi as Carl

Peter Stormare as Gaear

Harve Presnell as Wade

Screenplay by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen

Directed by Joel Coen (and Ethan Coen, uncredited)

 

Let’s just kick this off with one of the coldest places in the lower 48: North Dakota. There’s a reason for it—the wind WHIPS across the prairie. Good lord, it’s ridiculous! There’s a stretch of road in Montana that runs through the Big Hole valley—absolutely gorgeous scenery. The wind drifts snow constantly, though, so you’re really just driving between the reflectors, since you can’t see the road, or the lines…I felt that 100% during the opening credits and the penultimate scene (no mallards here).

 

Fargo is the story of a small-town cop, Marge (McDormand; Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri; Good Omens), who happens upon a moderately-sized scam that ends up with big-time consequences. She and her regular Joe husband Norm “Son-of-a” Gunderson (John Carroll Lynch; Shutter Island, American Horror Story) live a regular life and do regular things. Jerry Lundegaard (Macy; Jurassic Park 3, Shameless) seems to do the same—runs his car dealership, spends time with his wife, son, and father-in-law. The only difference is that Marge is happy. The end result for these two is vastly different—Marge is happy, and Jerry is going to jail.

 

This is an incredible film. The opening credits deem it a true story (it’s not), and that might have something to do with how you feel about Fargo. Regardless, it’s absolutely fantastic. How so?

  • The characters. Every yin has a yang in this film. Carl (Buscemi; Armageddon, Big Daddy) has his Gaear (Stormare; Armageddon, Constantine). Marge has her Norm. They both have their Shep (Steve Reevis; The Longest Yard, Comanche Moon). Even the random supporting cast is magic—the two hookers, Mike Yanagita, young Scotty Lundegaard. They add so much to the tone of the film. Everyone is just a regular person, doing their best from day to day. They’re pretty hardy stock, too—plains winters are rough.
  • The score. WOW. Carter Burwell is working his way into the annals of cinema lore with the fantastic credits he’s accumulated. He’s scored such films as EVERYTHING THE COEN BROTHERS HAVE EVER MADE, Doc Hollywood, Rob Roy, A Goofy Movie, The Jackal, and one of my personal favorites, A Knight’s Tale. He’s very talented, and he really makes the fiddle work in Fargo’s main theme.
  • Steve Buscemi’s language. My mother talks to me about how much I use the F word, and he’s much more colorful than I am. I don’t know if the adage holds true for Carl Showalter (intelligent people curse more), but it’s really effective in defining the character.
  • The cinematography. I’m not sure if you could pick a bleaker landscape off the map on any given day. The isolation of the country adds to the isolated feel of the people; they’re so far away from everything that they’re still a few years behind. I can relate—not a lot of people believe me when I share that we have paved roads and indoor plumbing.

 

Weepy Meter: 1/10 It’s from laughing, if anything.

Man Meter: 8/10 Fargo is a drama, but there is a lot of action and conspiracy and blood. And a wood chipper.

Overall Rating: 8/10 A one-of-a-kind film. These Coen brothers have their heads screwed on a little sideways, I think.

© 1996 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

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