Fresh
Fargo, with its grotesque murders and cheery detectives, is a cold gem that takes us to the far north. Its seemingly pitiless light opens up the realms of darkness concealed beneath that world of white.
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
Fargo
A homespun murder story.
1996 · 1h 38m · R
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Directed by
Joel Coen
,
Ethan Coen
Overview
Jerry, a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt... but he's got a plan. He's going to hire two thugs to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. It's going to be a snap and nobody's going to get hurt... until people start dying. Enter Police Chief Marge, a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing - and extremely pregnant - investigator who'll stop at nothing to get her man. And if you think her small-time investigative skills will give the crooks a run for their ransom... you betcha!
Director and cast
- Joel Coen Director
- Ethan Coen Director
- Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson
- William H. Macy as Jerry Lundegaard
- Steve Buscemi as Carl Showalter
- Peter Stormare as Gaear Grimsrud
- Harve Presnell as Wade Gustafson
- John Carroll Lynch as Norm Gunderson
- Kristin Rudrüd as Jean Lundegaard
- Bruce Bohne as Lou
- Steve Reevis as Shep Proudfoot
- Steve Park as Mike Yanagita
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
94%
Tomatometer
Fresh
A small, supremely satisfying film. Heck and you betcha, it is.
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
Fresh
A few scenes go around in circles, as if snow-blind, and the humor may be too inward and contorted for some tastes. But McDormand brings order to the weirdness and warms it up.
Anthony Lane, New Yorker
Fresh
It's another daring black comedy by one of the most consistently inventive moviemaking teams of the last decade, brothers Joel and Ethan Coen.
Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune
Rotten
From the camera angles to the set design, everything is calculated to make the viewer feel superior to the cloddish, geeky characters on display.
Dave Kehr, New York Daily News
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