A portrait of the dark side of Minnesota.

Rating: 6/10 (10 January 2006)

Honestly, I did not find this movie to be overwhelmingly entertaining. There are one or two funny parts, a few thrilling parts, but mostly it would be considered a drama, if that. The movie wasn't BAD, but it really wasn't that GOOD either. There are some unexplained parts of the movie, such as how William Macy's character, Jerry Lundegaard, became SO financially desperate; what EXACTLY happened to his wife, Jean, played by Kristin Rudrüd; or how Carl, played by Steve Buscemi, and his insane mate Gaear know each other. I think a more realistic film would show how the criminals are still human and would explain in better detail why they continue to "deal" with their problems in such an erratic way. Do not get me wrong, however, I think the actors were most convincing and did excellent jobs, but I thought the writing could have been better.