MikePadgett.com

Fargo

• Director: Joel Coen
• United States, 1996
• 

Despite the Coen Brothers’ claim as the movie opens, Fargo is not a true story. That’s just as well, because this savage, bleak and ugly little tale is surely far too clever, funny and heartwarming to be true.

Jerry Lundergaard (William H Macy) can’t keep his debts secret for much longer, so he arranges to have his wife kidnapped and returned for a ransom paid by his father-in-law, which he intends to split with the kidnappers. Unfortunately, the plan goes horribly wrong and police officer Marge Gunderson (an Oscar-winning Frances McDormand) steadily tracks down the culprits.

For me, this movie is the Coens’ best to date. Their scripts are often sharp (another Oscar here), the direction is usually tight and the acting is always good, but on Fargo it all dovetails nicely.