After their films, “Barton Frink,” “Miller’s Crossing” & “The Hudsucker Proxy” flopped and eventually became cult classics, the Coen Brothers worked on their next project titled, “Fargo.” Set in Minnesota around 1987, a salesman hires two incompetent low lives to kidnap his wife and extort ransom money from his wealthy father-in-law. The local police chief investigates the crime scene.
Fargo officially premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1996 (same year Sling Blade came out) and given a theatrical release on March 8. It received unanimous praise from critics and movie goers alike. In addition to huge praise, it was a commercial success. Frances McDormand and the Coen Brothers ultimately won Oscars for “Best Actress” and “Best Director.” An anthology television series based on Fargo aired in 2014 on FX. I have two legit reasons why I wanna share my opinion on this ‘90s classic.
- The Coen Brothers are working on their next film, “Jack of Spades.” It’ll stream in Fall 2027 on Netflix.
- It’s Awards Season. Which is my favorite season during Fall and Winter.
This review contains no crucial SPOILERS whatsoever. I’m giving newcomers a chance to see this masterpiece.
Innocent & Guilty Aspects
Innocent: Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi & Peter Stormare all did a superb job for their respective performances.
The Coen Brothers did a splendid job directing. They also wrote the script.
Carter Burwell (A Goofy Movie, True Grit, Missing Link) orchestrated the soundtrack.
The Tone has an effective mix of seriousness and comedy.
Cinematography’s shot in stable condition. In case you didn’t n know, Oscar winning cinematographer, Roger Deakins is the cameraman. Same guy who shot “Blade Runner 2049,” “Skyfall” & “Sicario.”
Pacing felt natural for a 98-minute film. Wasn’t a snorefest like “The English Patient.”
Even though the Opening Scene begins with a text it’s based on a true story. It’s entirely fictional. As I recall on my review “Kumiko the Treasure Hunter,” Rinko Kikuchi’s titular character seeks a briefcase full of money buried in the middle of a snow area. The Coen Brothers confirmed they wrote a fictional story based on the murder Helle Crafts.
Fun Facts
- In 2007, Fargo was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
- Bruce Campbell makes an uncredited cameo appearance on TV. He and Sam Raimi are good friends with the Coen Brothers.
- Gene Siskel & Roger Ebert ranked Fargo as their favorite film of 1996. They were huge fans of the Coen Brothers. I on the other hand, rank “Independence Day” as my number one pick. Ironic, because Gene & Roger hated the highest-grossing film of 1996.
- If you’re a fan of “American Horror Story” or AHS for short, John Carroll Lynch (Twisty the Clown) has a role as Marge’s husband, Norm. There hasn’t been a very good season since “Hotel.” I used to like AHS. I lost my respect to Ryan Murphy.
Random Thought: If you wanna spice things up a notch, how about a drinking game? Take a shot every time a character utters out, “yeah.” Stick to water or non-alcoholic beverages. I don’t promote alcohol poisoning.
Guilty: To be honest, I couldn’t find nothing wrong. I’m giving the cast and crew an Extra Point for making a flawless film as possible.
The Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!
From my Point of View, Fargo still holds up. I consider this as one of my favorite films of 1996. I almost forgot, I intend to watch a few films from that year. If you’re interested in seeing Fargo, it’s worth your spare time. Watch the FX series on Hulu. I also highly recommend Kumiko the Treasure Hunter.”
