WATCH NOW
FARGO
During a depressing North Country winter, a car dealer who is used to scamming a few extra bucks out of his customers plans a bigger outrage, an absurd swindle. The mark is his wealthy boss, who is also his father in law. Jerry (William H. Macy), our homespun antihero, hires some goons to stage a kidnapping of his own dedicated but dimbulb wife. Ransom will be extorted, the crooks will split the loot with Jerry, let his wife go, then disappear. Nobody will be wiser.
Everybody in this Joel and Ethan Coen movie (Raising Arizona, The Hudsucker Proxy), which is based on real events, is a shade dumber than normal. The worst are the ex-con kidnappers: small, funny-looking Carl and big, impulsive Gaear. The unexpected always happens to them, followed by reckless improvisation. Also, Jerry has his own problems, especially with Wade, his crusty father in law.
If regular folks are committing the crime, they’re also solving it. The local sheriff, Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand), is seven months pregnant. She’s close to her husband, Norm, a wildlife artist who brings her all her meals. She’s uncomplicated but smart enough, between bouts of morning sickness, to get quickly on the trail of all the culprits.
The Coens, who grew up in Minneapolis, enjoy teasing the simple ways and speech patterns of the locals. Despite its misanthropic strain, essentially Fargo is deadpan Hitchcockian black comedy about how hard it really is to get away with a crime. This film will be too bloody for some, but the Fargo world is clearly ruled by relentless moral forces. Marge and Norm, being warm and loving, help to restore one’s shaky faith in human nature. Steve Buscemi (the Peter Lorre of the 1990’s) works hardest and steals the picture as the inept, unfortunate Carl. Violence, problem language and sex situations; satisfactory, with reservations, for adults.
For more movies like FARGO (1996) visit Hurawatch.
Also watch: