One Of The Funniest black comedies, and one of the most well directed thrillers ever made

Rating: 10/10 (26 January 2005)

Fargo is an excellent film and it's one of my favorites. Everything about this movie is great, from the score, to the tragic plot, the dark comedy, the editing, directing, and the performances.
The comedy of this film is something that is perceived differently by everyone, some think it's hilarious, others don't get it, and some don't see why it's funny at all. All of the comedy is hilarious, but it takes some thought to understand certain things.
The plot is quite simple. A car salesman(William H. Macy) is in debt and needs money that he can't receive, so he hires two thugs to kidnap his wife, forcing her wealthy father to pay a Ransom. Quickly, everything about his plan goes completely wrong, resulting in the deaths of several people across Minnesota, caused by the kidnappers he hired. On the trail of the thugs is pregnant cop, Marge(Frances McDormand).
The characters are simple people, but they are very memorable. William H. Macy is excellent and very believable as the over extended car salesman, it's no wonder he was nominated for best supporting actor. Steve Buscemi, who is one of my favorite actors, is great as the kidnapper, Carl Showalter, who is trying to get money by all means possible, Frances McDormand is very deserving of her Oscar for her performance as the pregnant Midwestern cop. Another memorable character is Gaer Grimsrud(Peter Stormare). He is Carl's psychopathic associate in crime, and he is very quiet. Peter Stormare is very good, he makes a convincing sociopath, which is a difficult role to play.
The plot is simple, and there aren't any BIG twists that many people look for in movies, but that is part of the beauty of this film. The Coen brothers were able to weave a story of a kidnapping and murder into a film with a simple, but very involved plot.
The editing is very good, especially considering how visual the film is. There is one scene about an hour into the film that is very well paced and suspenseful, and a lot goes on in that scene as well. All of it is perfectly guided by the editing.
In my opinion, this film never gets old. The humor always stays funny, the dialog always stays clever and entertaining, and the plotting always keeps me interested. This is a gem of American cinema, and I hope you enjoy it the same way I have enjoyed it.