Fargo (1996)

In the cold, desolate Minnesota winter Jerry Lundegaard has concocted a scheme to have his wife kidnapped in order to collect the ransom money for himself and save himself from bankruptcy. Jerry, two petty criminals he meets in Fargo, North Dakota; and a police chief named Marge are just some of the fantastic characters created by the Coen brothers for their film Fargo.

Fargo is a film about loneliness disguised as a crime thriller. In the first scene when Jerry meets with the criminals he has hired, Carl and Gaear, it seems like the film may turn out to be a crime-based comedy. But as events unfold and the situations in the film become more and more bleak, the inner personal drama becomes apparent. All of the characters in the film, with the exception of Marge Gunderson and her husband Norm, are very lonely people. Jerry is on the verge of financial collapse and is unable to connect with his family, so out of his loneliness he makes a desperate attempt to save himself. His wife, Jean, chops vegetables and knits with a desperation signaling her unhappiness in life. Jerry’s father-in-law, Wade, has become a millionaire, but that hasn’t brought him happiness. The two criminals, also desperate, agree to go along with Jerry’s insane plan. Throughout the film Gaear seeks silence and has very few lines, while his accomplice Carl thrives on conversation and seeks to be around people constantly to escape his loneliness. The characters try to hides their loneliness with the polite Minnesotan dialect and speech patterns, but their actions inevitably speak louder than the accents. At the center of all these lonely people is Marge Gunderson, a happily married, successful police officer who is expecting a baby. She has obviously found happiness with her career and with her simple and idyllic marriage with Norm. This is the portrait of characters the Coen brothers have brilliantly painted in Fargo.

Apart from the memorable characters in Fargo, is the great story to go along with them. The story starts out very light, even though it involves a kidnapping, and retains an innocence that is lost through the course of the film. Once the kidnapping happens, things start to go wrong and Jerry is stuck in all sorts of dilemmas. When the criminals are stopped for not having a proper license plate, the murders begin. From this point, the story becomes more somber and more serious dramatic layers are unveiled. This story is told through a brilliant screenplay written by the Coens with ironic wit and their dead-on examples of the northern Minnesota accent. I think everyone can quote at least one line from Fargo. “That must be your accomplice in the woodchipper, there.” But aside from the great storytelling ability is their great insight into a unique part of American culture. They capture the essence of the Upper Midwest as a place that possibly breeds a type of loneliness that is so prevalent in the film with its climate, and maybe even the façade of the polite culture that hides the true feelings of its people.

The thing that really makes this piece work is the acting. All around the performances are brilliant. William H. Macy is perfectly cast as Jerry Lundegaard, as is Steve Buscemi as Carl Showalter. Peter Stormare employs the perfect subtlety in his character as Gaear Grimsrud. But of course the most brilliant performance is by Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson. She does the most perfect Minnesota accent I have ever heard. She also makes Marge a truly multi-layered character. Marge always puts on a smiling face, but underneath she is a very clever cop who knows how to get the answers she wants, and she is also a character who has a great insight into human nature. This is especially evident in her final speech.

I think everyone who sees Fargo falls in love with it. Whether you love it for the subtle humor, Minnesota dialect, the thrill of crime, or the great story, it is a film experience like no other.