A disappointingly ordinary film.

Rating: 5/10 (4 March 2005)

"Fargo" is frequently called the best film ever made by the Coen Brothers, but I must resolutely veto this notion. How people can consider this superior to "Miller's Crossing" or "The Hudsucker Proxy" I'll never understand. The film tells the story of Jerry (William H. Macy, playing his standard pathetic loser), who arranges to have his own wife kidnapped by two goons (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare, as their standard characters, a foul-mouthed weasel and a taciturn thug), in order to get the money needed to pay off his debts. Things go wrong, and police officer Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) is on the case. The film won two Oscars in 1997, Best Screenplay and Best Actress (McDormand); I must say that it didn't deserve either of them. In particular, I found McDormand's performance incredibly overrated. Margie is a cartoon character, and nothing more. I give this film a disappointing 5/10.