Fargo

Rating: 8/10 (7 March 2006)

From writing and directing brothers, BAFTA and Golden Globe winning, and Oscar nominated Joel, and Ethan Coen (Raising Arizona, No Country for Old Men, True Grit), I remember seeing this film once before, but I needed to see it again to really appreciate it. Basically Jerry Lundegaard (Oscar nominated William H. Macy) has financial problems, and out of desperation, in Fargo, North Dakota, he decides to hire criminals Carl Showalter (Steve Buscemi) and Gaear Grimsrud (Peter Stormare) to kidnap his own wife Jean (Kristin Rudrüd). This is in order for his father in law Wade Gustafson (Patch Adams' Harve Presnell) to pay a ransom of $1,000,000, for which the two criminals will get £40,000 of while he keeps the rest. So they kidnap the wife, but on the journey to the secluded cabin they will be keeping her in they are stopped by a policeman who Gaear kills, he also kills two witnesses who crash their car. Investigating this homicide, from Brainerd, Minnesota, is local pregnant chief/sheriff Marge Gunderson (Oscar winning, and BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Frances McDormand) who is tenacious to catch whoever committed the murders. Jerry, who did originally ask for money from Wade, which he thought he was going to get (not needing the kidnappers anymore) but didn't, gets the ball rolling for the kidnappers ransom money. Being an antagonist man, Wade is insistent that if a $1,000,000 ransom is going to be paid, he will do it himself, and of course Jerry is trying everything he can think of to make sure that does not happen. Marge's investigation leads her to the discovery that the car passing by and killing the victims was hired at the car lot that Jerry works in for Wade, he is obviously very nervous in convincing her he knows nothing about it. It comes to the money drop-off for the ransom, and Wade goes against the wishes of the kidnappers to take it himself, while Gaear keeps an eye on Jean Carl is the one to pickup. Angered by the appearance of the father-in-law and not Jerry he shoots Wade, and he ends up getting shot in the face, and after Carl leaves the parking lot, Jerry is the one to take the body of Wade away. On his way back Carl sees that the case has $1,000,000 instead of an agreed amount, so he buries some at the side of the road in the snow, and when he gets back to the cabin he finds Gaear has killed Jean. Gaear kills Carl with an axe after an argument for the car, and after questioning Jerry again and seeing him flee, Marge finds her way to the cabin where the remaining criminal is putting the body parts of his dead partner in a wood chipper. In the end Gaear is arrested for the five murders, Jerry is caught and arrested for his involvement, and Marge returns home to husband Norm (Volcano's John Carroll Lynch) and they both look forward to the two months left to wait for their baby. Also starring Tony Denman as Scotty Lundegaard, Larissa Kokernot as Hooker #1, Melissa Peterman as Hooker #2 and Steven Reevis as Shep Proudfoot. McDormand gives a nice simple performance that I can see being worthy of the accolade she received, Macy is great as the man setting up the kidnap, and Buscemi and Stormare are equally great as the hopeless but creepy criminals. The stylistic direction by the Coen brothers are brilliant, their scripting is witty, funny and full of some really good thrills, the snowy settings are worth watching, and you can enjoy both the tension and the moments that make you laugh, a fantastic black comedy thriller. It won the Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, and it was nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Picture, it was nominated the BAFTAs for Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film, , and it was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical and Best Screenplay. Marge Gunderson was number 33 on 100 Years, 100 Heroes & Villains, the film was 93 on 100 Years, 100 Laughs, it was number 84 on 100 Years, 100 Movies, and it was number 31 on The 100 Greatest Films. Very good!