Well, this was interesting...

Rating: Null/10 (30 July 2002)

Ah, there are just some things in life that I will never be able to fully understand. This movie is one of them. FARGO begins with a lie right away, claiming to be "Based on a True Story"- I later found out that this was indeed a lie. *Spoilers*
Jerry Lundergaard (William H. Macy) is short on money. So, hiring two criminals (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) he tells them to kidnap his wife and to get a large ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. When they unintentionally kill three locals, things turn upside-down, especially when the pregnant Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) steps in to investigate.

Now, many things are wrong with the film. The biggest and worst thing to happen to the film is probably the god-awful accents that many members of the cast put on. "Is there a payphone 'round here, ya think?", much unnecessary sexuality which is in the movie for no apparent reason. And the film is about a half hour too short. Most films of this genre run anywhere from two hours to two and a half hours long. I thought this was going to be a nice, scary suspense thriller, but even during the sequences that are intended to be thrilling and intense, things just roll along like how they have been during the boring moments. The Coen Brothers even gave it a biting sense of humor to go with the plot that just doesn't stick. It would have been so much better if they had just made it turn dark and scary a few times. But, keeping that happy-go-lucky feel, it just doesn't seem like you are watching a thriller. FARGO: 4/5.