Fargo
— A masterpiece of underplay and a black comedy à l'époque, Fargo is a Coen watershed.”
- 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.
See also:
Hot Fuzz
Not caught by the Fuzz: this British parody of American buddy cop movies is rather tepid.
- Originally published: 25 Feb 2007 in Film
Double Indemnity
A crackling script but surprisingly short on dramatic tension.
- Originally published: 7 Oct 2007 in Film
The World’s Fastest Indian
A film about a stubborn eccentric who never gave up turns out to be a simple triumph.
- Originally published: 30 Nov 2006 in Film
The Departed
The older generation still runs things round these parts.
- Originally published: 26 Feb 2007 in Film
The Last King of Scotland
A masterclass in biopic acting from Forest Whitaker.
- Originally published: 30 Sep 2007 in Film
Who you gonna call?
Hello you, I'm Mike Padgett. I'm not a Princeton curator, Knoxville mayoral candidate, Kentuckian pastor or Arizona journalist, I just share the same name. In fact, I am a consultant working in user experience and information design.
I also enjoy travel, concerts, films and walking.
I'm originally from Yorkshire, England but nowadays I live in Belgium. My current favourite Belgian beer is Black Albert.
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