Fargo: Uma Comédia de Erros

The Coen brothers' 'Fargo' is nearly a great film: a beautifully shot, blackly comic thriller that quietly subverts every convention of the genre. This is a film where the remote mid-western city of Minneapolis plays the same role as New York in a normal crime story, a hub of civilisation and vice; where the hero is a woman (and a heavily pregnant, happily married woman at that); and the chief villain a car salesman of absolutely no slickness whatsoever. In a final irony, most of the action doesn't even take place in Fargo, but in the even more obscure town of Brainerd. Yet I found it hard to love this film. At brief moments (in depicting the relationship of policewoman Marge, played superbly by Frances McDormaid, and her husband), it feels astonishingly tender, yet at others, it feels as if it is simply making fun of the strange folks from outer America with the wacky accents and absurdly stoical demeanour. And the combination of deadpan acting and frankly silly plot excess sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Above all else, perhaps, 'Fargo' lacks a beating heart: while nearly moving, and nearly funny, there's a part of this film that refuses to commit itself, that prefers to hold back and mock not just its subjects, but also the idea that a film should take itself seriously. The Coens are widely celebrated as among the best film-makers of our age, but watching their films, I usually end up wondering whether irony is not a slightly over-rated virtue. Fargo looks lovely, and weird, and has a wry outlook all of it's own; but it won't make you laugh out loud, or cry. If it wasn't called a masterpiece I might almost like it.

Jerry Lundegaard is sick of working for his father in law, sick of his wife, and decides it's time to get rid of his challenging relatives, he employs hitmen, but things don't go according to plan.

Fargo is one of those films that didn't finish with time, arguably it gets better with subsequent viewings. Yes it's a thriller, but it's way too comical to be a straight up action thriller, the humour is prevelant throughout, it's a black comedy, and for my money, it's one of the best of them, some of the situations are outrageous.

It's almost a little surreal at times, let's be clear, this is not based on any real life events, what it is however is thoroughly entertaining. It will make you want to watch the TV series.

I will never tire of hearing the word 'Marge,' and if you're watching for the first time, you'll hear it a lot, you'll also hear some curious accents.

Very well acted, William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi nailed it for me.

I'd have gone crazy at that lake too!

8/10.

FARGO (1996) **** Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Harve Presnell, Peter Stormare. Dark comic undertones and excellent character actor performances dominate this richly macabre crime story gone awry flick by the Coen brothers(Joel and Ethan) involving pathetic used car salesman Macy so hard up for money and respect (not necessarily in that order) that he hires a pair of dim-witted thugs to kidnap his wife for ransom from his father-in-law's vast wealth in a plot-line that unravels with nice little twists and snags. McDormand (Best Actress) is perfect as a pregnant Midwestern sheriff on the case with a no-nonsense and homespun effect with her tactics of crime solving. Great cinematography by Roger A. Deakins accentuates the bleak winterscape of unearthed uneasiness. Nominated for Best Supporting Actor Macy, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Academy Award winner for Best Original Screenplay.

Some may argue that this film is too violent. Some may say that this film is offensive to those who live in Minnesota or North Dakota due to the exaggerated accents. Nevertheless, this film is superb in that it has just the right amount of mix between comedy, horror, and police procedural antics. I recommend it because it does flow well, and you get to appreciate the talents and commitment the actors put into this film. Rewatching this in 2023, I have come to appreciate why this has become a cult classic that has spawned its own TV series dating back to 2014, with a season 5 just dropped, paying homage to the movie with neat Easter eggs. If you enjoy the TV series, you'll do yourself a favor with a rewatch of this one.

With all the sorry films these days it is good to see a movie as funny, wicked, dramatic, and utterly demented as "Fargo". It's one of those films that you just have to see. William H. Macy gives an Oscar-nominated performance as a car salesman who hires two thugs (one a know-it-all-know-nothing and the other a demented psychopath) to kidnap his wife so that he can keep half the ransom from her well-off father. Needless to say nothing goes right and Brainerd sheriff Frances McDormand (in an Oscar-winning role) comes in to save the day. I won't give anything away because the material is too good to tell those who haven't seen this inventive film. "Fargo" was ranked on the 100 Greatest Films list in 1996 and it was well-deserved. In this age of by-the-numbers film making, this film was a refreshing flashback to the risk-taking style that made the 1970s such a great decade for movies. 5 stars out of 5.