A favourite of mine (potential spoiler)

Rating: 10/10 (27 December 2003)

There is something a little novel about reviewing a film released half a decade ago  I'm writing this after watching Fargo for the fourth time, not the first, so this really should be preceded by the following disclaimer: Fargo is one of my favourite films - ever.
Bringing together an ensemble group of ever so slightly eccentric characters and thrusting them into the epitome of small-town America  Fargo tells the story of a scam gone wrong  mainly due to the utter incompetence of its protagonists. On many levels, this is a film primarily about its characters  the inability of people to communicate, the repulsive Have a Nice Day' aesthetic of the nineties and humanity's greatest vice: a constant desire for more money. In this way, Marge  perfectly portrayed with the correct amount of conviction and humour by Frances McDormand  is the lead role. She is a woman who likes people and loves their inner good  shown by her affection for fumbling husband Norm  and there is barely anything more disheartening in the film than the extended close-up of her melancholic face after discovering the extent of Mike's lies  this is the point where she becomes disillusioned with people, and this only increases as she comes face to face with Grimsrud.
However, Fargo is about a lot more than people and humanity  and, aside from Marge, there are many protagonists. It is also a film about violence and the inability to escape from violence. Shot against such a beautiful, invariably white backdrop, the red of blood becomes increasingly shocking  simply accentuating the horror of violence in this small-town society. Characters resort to violence simply because they have no other outlet for their inability to communicate  Carl shoots Wade simply because he is frustrated at Jerry's non-appearance, there is no possible gain for him in this murder.
There is not a bad thing to say about Fargo  the writing is perfectly spot-on, juxtaposing blackly hilarious lines with extreme violence, Deakins' cinematography is breathtaking, encompassing seemingly endless landscapes of snow-white, and there is not a bad apple amongst the cast. Everything is rounded off with a cherry on top  the subtle Coen Brothers directorial touch  the ability to either exploit the funniest thing in every frame or create humour in something that is distinctly serious. Much attention has been given to the auteur status of the Coens, and I do think that Fargo is unmistakably their work - possibly their finest hour in a fine canon of cinema. Just simply perfect.
10/10