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Fargo (1996)
Starring Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, and Peter Stormare. Cinematography by Roger Deakins. Edited by Roderick Jaynes. Produced by Ethan Coen. Written by Joel and Ethan Coen. Directed by Joel Coen.
Jerry Lundegaard (played by William H. Macy) is a car salesman with a brilliant business plan, but no capital to front for the project. His father in law, Wade (played by Harve Presnell), has the money but is unwilling to share it. So instead of seeking financial support elsewhere, Jerry arranges for his wife (played by Kristin Rudrüd) to be kidnapped by a pair of incompetent criminals (played by Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) hoping to earn a fifty percent cut of the ransom.
But things don’t go exactly as planned and the bodies begin to pile up. Enter Margie Gustafson (played by Frances McDormand), a detective in her third trimester of pregnancy, who begins to unravel the mystery with every little sloppy clue left behind.
After experiencing the pressures of filming The Hudsucker Proxy, Joel and Ethan Coen were frustrated with the big budget system of film production. Both The Hudsucker Proxy and Miller’s Crossing, their two biggest budgeted films, had failed miserably at the box office. So for their next project they went back to their roots in independent filmmaking. The smaller budget kept them comfortable but they challenged themselves with an unfamiliar style.
Fargo is much less flashy than their previous works and is shot almost as if it were a documentary. There are only a few of examples of the stylized camera work that the Coen brothers are known for. The interiors were scarcely decorated and the landscapes were shot bland and gray. Available lighting was used whenever possible. After being accused by critics of being all flash and no substance, the Coens stood back and let the audience just simply observe the story as it happened.
Speaking of the story; the film opens with a blurb indicating that the film is based on actual events that took place in Minnesota in 1987. This is not entirely true. The film is indeed based on a true event, but the overall story and the characters are made up. In Minnesota in 1987 a woman was truly kidnapped, but the details of the crime were wholly invented for the film.
The Coens preceded the film with the text to warn the viewer to not anticipate an “ordinary thriller”. With its beautiful blend of black comedy and violent crime drama, the film is indeed an extraordinary thriller and marks a zenith of the Coen brother’s seemingly limitless talent as a filmmaking team.
Budget: $7,000,000
Total US Gross: $24,567,751
Genre: Crime
Runtime: 98 Minutes
US Release Date: 3/8/96
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Awards:
Academy Awards:
Won for best actress and best original screenplay. Nominated for best actor, best cinematography, best director, best editing, and best picture.
Golden Globes:
Nominated for best actress in a comedy or musical, best screenplay, best director, and best comedy or musical.
Cannes Film Festival:
Won for best director. Nominated for the Golden Palm.
Directors Guild of America:
Nominated for the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures.
Writers Guild of America:
Won for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.
American Film Institute’s Top 100 Lists:
100 Years… 100 Movies (#84)
100 Years… 100 Laughs (#93)
100 Years… 100 Heroes and Villains (#33 Hero – Marge Gunderson).
Tagline: A Lot Can Happen In The Middle Of Nowhere.
Quote: “Oh, I just think I'm gonna barf... Well, that passed. Now I'm hungry again.”
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