Fargo Review (Classic Write-Up)

The snowy environment of Fargo, North Dakota makes the landscape look massive, sprawling, unending. It's a winter dominated setting populated by folks whose vocabulary is as polite as it is upbeat. It seems like a cheerful, serene location....which makes a sudden kidnapping that escalates into murder all the more shocking. Juxtaposing this wholesome location with such a vicious crime is the framework of The Coen Brothers 1996 feature (which is directed solely by Joel Coen) Fargo, which has rightfully become a well-known classic.


Concocting a tension-laced thriller can be a difficult proposition, but perhaps Fargo's best move is creating three separate stories that all finds themselves intertwined. There's Jerry Lundegard (William H. Macy), who has hired two men to kidnap his wife, the two men in question (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) and Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand), a police chief investigating homicides committed by the two men Jerry hired. What's particularly fun about having all three of these subplots going is that none of the characters knows everything; they're all in the dark about something crucial in this scenario, making it all the more suspenseful to see what happens next to them.

The cast is key to making sure the story and tension are well executed, and thankfully, The Coen Brothers continue the recurring element of quality casting by rounding up some talented folks here. Frances McDormand is a constant delight, her everyday personality contrasting nicely with the heightened levels of violence she has to deal with in this particular case. William H. Macy is similarly successful at providing a sharp contrast, with his feeble, demure personality being the last person you'd expect to be behind some kind of major crime. Watching him react as things escalate out of control is particularly fascinating to experience.

That aforementioned snowy environment where the feature takes place is a sight to see thanks to Roger Deakins incredible cinematography work. A scene where Buscemi races across the snow to hide a briefcase is wondrous to see, mainly in how much the scene effectively highlights Buscemi's isolation. Isolation actually seems to be a common theme in Fargo, come to think of it; Jerry is isolated from his Father in-law, and the harsh language and debauchery committed by the films two criminals makes them highly isolated from the rest of the nearby population, which is typically as tranquil as can be.

Things don't stay tranquil within the story of course, especially towards the end when Buscemi's storyline concludes in a now infamous fashion. But considering how engrossed I was in this thrilling film, I wouldn't have it any other way. Many of it's characters are separated from the norm, and Fargo itself manages to break out from conventions to become something truly special.