In anyone else's hands, "Fargo" would be a very ordinary movie. Thank god for the Coen Brothers...

Rating: 9/10 (3 September 2014)

The best movies are the ones that not only tell a good story, but make you think about yourself. They can be inspirational stories that make us strive to be better, or cautionary tales to make us more aware of things to look out for in life. Alternatively, they can make us think about who we really are – this is where "Fargo" comes in. In anyone else's hands, "Fargo" would be a very ordinary movie, telling the story of a series of crimes and a detective who tries to solve them. In the hands of the Coen Brothers, it's a gory and often hilarious look at criminal life in cold Minnesota, and the oddball characters involved in it.
The focus for the first third of the film is Jerry Lundegaard, a car salesman played superbly by William H. Macy, who is in need of money, and hires two criminals (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife so that he can take some of the ransom money. He's a brilliantly written character, who gets far too nervous in the tricky situations he's stuck in, and always tries to recover as things don't go his way. As things go wrong for the criminals they are forced to kill a number of witnesses, which gives them even more problems. This brings in the film's main character, pregnant Police Chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand), who is calm and polite in her investigations and fascinating to watch. McDormand manages to steal the show brilliantly, with her awkward facial expressions at times and perfectly placed one-liners at others. It's difficult to see anyone else playing the role.
The script of the film is so sharp, but it's rare that the Coen Brothers don't deliver that for us. Why does the film make you think about yourself though? Because of its violence and the way you react to it. When Jerry's wife is being kidnapped, she hides in the shower and then runs along the hall unable to escape from the shower curtain, eventually falling down the stairs. It's brutal, but it's so ridiculous and so well shot that it's also kind of funny. The criminals, especially Buscemi's character, are so idiotic that their mishaps, including Buscemi being shot in the face, also make you laugh. The thing that really makes all of this click is the setting, the wintry town of Fargo, its bizarre residents and particularly the accent. There is one scene where Marge only says "Yah", but does it in such a way that it can't help being funny. They're ridiculous without being too simple, and constantly watchable.
"Fargo" is a relatively brief movie, at only 98 minutes long, but it uses every second to its advantage in painting this brilliant, funny and bizarre story. It shows all of its actors, and its two directors, at their very best, and doesn't let up for one moment so that you are always willing to go along for the ride.