All in the motives

Rating: 9/10 (3 April 2006)

Fargo isn't a thriller or mystery in the traditional sense, but it is still a truly remarkable piece of film-making and screeenwriting.
Few characters in American film epitomize the banality of evil as thoroughly as Jerry Lundegaard. Jerry's greed causes him to seek opportunities that he is incapable of handling, commit pointless and easily-detectable frauds, and commission one of the most ill-conceived crimes possible. More significantly, he is only capable of thinking of himself, even as the world around him explodes into bloody chaos due to his own actions. The most telling scene is the one where he tries to reassure his son that everything will be all right -- but like everything else he tells people, it's a lie, and a transparent one at that. In his hands, cluelessness becomes a truly monstrous thing that destroys everyone and everything he should care about.
It is the contrast with these qualities that makes Marge such a compelling heroine. A woman who cares about those around her and those she works with, she gives and receives a thousand little kindnesses that repay her tenfold. The murders she must deal with may be a challenge she doesn't want, but she is more than up to it, and displays the determination and savvy, if not the flash and flair, of a great movie sleuth.
It is the contrast in these characters, and the others around them, that makes Fargo such a special film.