Fargo (1996)

1996 • 98 minutes

About this movie

In Fargo, filmmaking brothers Joel and Ethan Coen both embrace and satirize their North Dakota roots. A patrolman and two innocent bystanders are discovered murdered in cold blood on a snowy North Dakota highway, leading very pregnant policewoman Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) on an investigation that uncovers a conspiracy of greed and ineptitude. Minneapolis husband, farther and car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy), who has long chafed under the thumb of his wealthy boss and father-in-law, concocts an elaborate scheme involving the kidnapping of his wife and a million-dollar ransom to pay off his extensive gambling debts. However, everything that could possibly go wrong indeed DOES go wrong. Officer Gunderson's outwardly homespun and folksy persona conceals a penetrating mind and a fierce moral compass, and she easily sees through the poorly executed and badly hidden events perpetrated by the bumbling, yet highly dangerous kidnappers...

Ratings and reviews

This movie, which I saw in the theater, made me believe in movies again. The characters & their dialog were so sharp, so crisp, so uniquely "Coen Brother's"...that one cannot ignore the fact that although 99% of what they show in theaters is pure garbage--it only takes one to make movies fun again. This movie shines from the opening scene, to when the lights come on. People actually cheered at the end of this film, appreciative of the talent we are lucky enough to enjoy. Watch this film, soak it up, swim in it, and seek out those filmmakers, actors, and artists who are using the page in the best possible way. Such a great film! Fantastic Cast! Perfect Direction! None of it possible without the word! More...more more more more...

Yes, it is a bit embarrassing for Google when they can't even spell the wurds in a synopsis properly. Oops, that should have been "words". Lucky for spell checker. Makes you wonder why they employee people that can't spell and people that can't be bothered correcting a spelling error when it is highlighted.

Watched a zillion times, can watch a zillion times more. Lester Nyggard never fails to amuse. This is one movie which you show your friends on a Friday night and saves you a beating that night. Hope the series lives up to the expectations.