Fargo (1996)

 Fargo (1996)

Starring- William H Macy, Steve Buscemi, Frances McDormand, Peter Stormare and Kristin Rudrud. 

The tagline to Fargo shouts, ‘There won’t be a better movie this year!’ A quote that I fully agree with on many levels despite the fact that 1996 spawned Independence Day, The English Patient, Scream and Jerry Maguire. However, in my humble opinion, Fargo trumps all of these. There is a fantastic storyline heightened with tension as the film progresses, brilliant acting and an amazing set- the bleak, misty, snowy backwaters of Minnesota provide the perfect backdrop for this blood soaked crime thriller. 

Put simply, Jerry Lundegard (Macy) is in way above his head in an unexplained financial problem. As panic sets in, he decides to extort the money he needs from his wealthy father in law, who just also happens to be his boss. Jerry’s inept criminal plan, to hire two crooks to kidnap his own wife and make his father in law cough up to the tune of one million dollars, rapidly begins falls apart due to the bungling of his hired criminals. 

The first thing that struck me about Fargo were the sets and locations. I absolutely love the backwaters of the USA and would love to discover them for myself one day. Naturally then I am instantly drawn to them. In Fargo they take these backwaters and mystify them by filming the vast open bleakness of life in the cold and snow of Minnesota. The murky mist adds to the tension and creates a sense of foreboding throughout the film. 

As far as cinematic performances go, you’d have to dig deep to emulate William H Macy in his finest role. He plays a man sinking into the abyss of financial problems so well you can feel the desperation oozing out of him and being written across his face. To play such a pathetic worm like character so convincingly was a treat to see. Jerry swirls uncontrollably on a lilo of debt, desperately trying to lever money from his wealthy father in law to no avail. Whatever his debt is, I personally felt sorry for Jerry as he had no support from his father in law at all and probably felt the criminal route was the only one open to him. The rage we see in Jerry’s lying eyes is expertly portrayed by Macy. 

The polar opposite to Jerry is Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) who is a chirpy yet tenacious and diligent police officer whose hard work brings the case to a close. I’d never seen McDormand in anything else prior to Fargo so I am currently trying desperately to seek out her work. 

This was my second viewing of Fargo and it got even better the second time. The characters are multi faceted and multi layered and played brilliantly. I urge you to watch this film- the best film of 1996. Also before I go do check out the brooding psychopath played by Peter Stormare and also Steve Buscemi who plays the second crook- both brilliant in this film.