Fargo (1996)

After watching No Country For Old Men a few weeks ago, I had to go back and watch another classic film by the Coen brothers, Fargo. The movie is a classic, and I believe one of a dozen or so that really stand out for me that were made in the 90's.

Fargo is set in North Dakota, and Minnesota, and follows the bizarre plot by Jerry Lundegaard, played brilliantly by William H. Macey, to have his wife kidnapped in order to get ransom money from his wealthy father-in-law. Things go awry, resulting in several murders which are investigated by a quirky pregnant police officer Marge Gunderson, even more brilliantly played by Francis McDormand (who won an Oscar for her role).

What makes this movie so interesting is that the setting highlights the ordinary and regular people of North Dakota and Minnesota, complete with their strong Midwest accents. This is juxtaposed with the ruthlessness of the two men who are hired to kidnap Lundegaard's wife. The intersection of these two complete polar opposites is of course Francis McDormand's character, who deals with the brutal killings, but at the same time keeps her small town and homey personality.

Another interesting message in this movie is that of unintended consequences. Lundegaard is a simple man, but gets himself involved with ruthless people, and the rest of the movie is a chain reaction - the results of which could never have been foreseen.

Particularly poignant is the final scene in the movie, which is truly horrifying and leaves the usually upbeat Officer Gunderson to wonder with her final words, "I just don't understand it."

Though the plot twists a bit, the movie is pretty straight forward - yet every time I watch it I find it impossible to look away, or do the "good parts version" as I commonly do with many other movies I have seen more than once. The acting and music are just great, and the drama and the comedy are sublime. I highly recommend this movie to anyone.