Brilliant

Rating: 9/10 (6 July 2019)

Brilliant. The film's idiosyncratic characters, with their northern Minnesota accents and mannerisms, are truly memorable and infinitely quotable. Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, and Steve Buscemi are all in career roles, and the supporting cast (including the chilling Peter Stormare) are great too. The cinematography is excellent and I loved the shots on location, which brought back memories; it's striking and makes the film feel authentic. The pace of the film, it's story-telling, dry humor, little observations, and surprise moments all make it highly entertaining even after repeat watches. Gotta love Marge Gunderson (McDormand) too - in her simple and nice way, she's canny, persistent, sensitive, and brave. She does it all, pursuing killers, carrying a baby, tactfully fending off an old high school classmate's advances, and stroking her husband's ego in what is a lovely marriage. What a bright character she is for such a dark tale. Just beware that it's not a true story, despite what that silly opening title card says, which was one of the film's few mistakes.