Superbly done Masterpiece!

Rating: 10/10 (17 April 2009)

Being a Minnesotan I love to watch films made here or about Minnesota; films like: "Purple Rain", "Grumpy Old Men", "Grumpier Old Men", "Untamed Heart", "North Country", "Prairie Home Companion", "The Heartbreak Kid" and others. "Fargo", however, is my favorite Minnesota film. It's a typical Coen Brothers film and by far their best! Yeah, they make fun of our politeness and our Scandinavian-German accents. As kids we are taught at home and in school, as well as on the job to always say Please and Thank You, hold open doors for others, wait your turn, don't speak loudly or yell and we rarely use the word Yes, for us it's Ya. Some people were embarrassed by this but most of us are proud of our politeness and our Nordic roots. It's known as "Minnesota Nice." So, as for "Fargo", most of us loved it. None of us talk like the Officer who says, "I'm gonna have ta ask ya ta git outta da curr." That said, most of the characters are spot on. Roger Deakins shows the bleakness of a prairie winter, but also its beauty. Carter Burwell's score has a tinge of Scandinavian folk to it. The Coens make fun of us but we don't mind because they've created a masterpiece in "Fargo". The cast is superb: Frances McDormand and John Carroll Lynch as Norm & Marge Gunderson are the heart of the film. Steve Buscemi as Carl Showalter, Peter Stormare as Gaear Grimsrud and William H. Macy as Jerry Lundegaard are a fine trio of bad guys. Kristin Rudrud as Jean Lundegaard, Harve Presnell as Wade Gustafson and Bruce Bohne as Marge's partner Lou are terrific. My favorite character of the cast has a small part but plays it brilliantly and is in my favorite scene. He is Bain Boehlke and he plays Mr. Mohra who is the guy shoveling his driveway and who is describing Carl Showalter as a "funny looking guy". I love that scene it really makes me laugh. In spite of its gore, the screenplay of "Fargo" is incredibly fascinating and very entertaining from beginning to end. Bravo Joel and Ethan!