Rating: 
Summary: Superb
Review: An absorbing and memorable movie. I talked like these people for three days after I saw it.
Rating: 
Summary: Murder with Humor
Review: Pretty simple story line about a murder plot. However what makes this film so different from your typical murder mystery films are the actors/actresses. You have a pregnant cop who is out examining dead bodies after the fact her husband makes her breakfast in the morning. You have Steve Buscemi who does a remarkable job adding eerieness, comedy, and empathy. Finally Macy (used car dealer guy) does a fine job with that MINNESOTA ACCENT as well as being a typical middle class suburban used car dealer who seems like everyone in life is trying to screw him over. He makes me feel so bad for him in this movie....I hate it. He convinces me that his life is miserable and he has every right and reason to have people kill his wife, etc....
Overall this movie is funny,mysterious,unpredictable,and the ending is rather grim.
Rating:
Summary: CLEVER DARK-HUMORED THRILLER
Review: This is a movie of abundance. First of all, it is abundant with fabulous acting by people, neither of whose names, I was familiar with, when I saw the movie: everybody is perfect in the movie. Each one of the actors fits perfectly for the role assigned to him/her. Secondly, it is abundant in innocence: Though the deeds of the villainous characters are contemptuous to the highest degree, they, along with of course, the "YA" -ing Frances Mc Dormand seem as lovable as Winnie The Pooh! Thirdly, it has an abundance of brilliant photographic shots: The shots, mainly capturing frosty harsh landscapes, in every mood, from every angle, are not only awe-inspiring, but also perfectly fit the downcast and stolid mood of the movie.Above everything else, the movie is more abundant in subtlety, more than anything else. This flick is supposed to be a thriller. But, it is more humorous than it is violent; though it's few violent moments are really shocking. However, even in the violent scenes, there is a delicate humor, hidden somewhere in the scene. Though done deliberately, the movie is fraught with subtle humor, which gives the flick, a charming personality. The acting is brilliant, in the manner that just the straight faces and controlled emotions of the actors are enough to make us laugh, in the most serious situations. A prime example of the kind of outré humor in this movie, is the scene where Steve Buscemi, a crook, has a business-like conversation with a prostitute while hiring her for the night, in which he asks her whether she gets job-satisfaction in this profession or not: all in a manner, which seems as if two company executives are discussing the NASDAQ! Seeing Marge Gunderson, (played by Frances McDormand) a beady-eyed seemingly innocuous sweet and homely cop, solve the crime with the encumbrance of pregnancy, is quite a change to the quintessential smart-aleck cop who arrives at a solution, in a trice over a cup of coffee. Every character, be it the crooks - hyper-talkative Carl (Steve Buscemi) and funereal Gaear (Peter Stormare) or the avaricious and confused Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) and his naïve wife Jean (Kristin Rudrud) or the super-cop "Margie" and her hubby, has this little goofy innocence, which adds to the humor of this anomalously dark and comical thriller. The clever mélange of the unique set of characters made to act in an even more unique way (especially the "YA"-laden accents), the outrageously subtle humor, and the grossly funny violence make the movie, humorous and subfusc, all at the same time. A movie, way far from the ordinary, FARGO deserves a heartening applause.
Rating:
Summary: great movie!!!
Review: I want to clarify some comments people made below that this movie insults Minnesotans. I lived in Minnesota for many years. This movie is really a VALENTINE to Minnesota. It has so many in-jokes about Minnesotans beyond the accents, even down to the talk about Honeywell, the neighbors' talk about the weather, and the kind of food Marge eats at the restaurant. It's really quite brilliant in putting all the idiosyncracies of that area of the country on film with only a little bit of exaggeration (yes, some Minnesotans do talk like that). In doing so, it's laughing with Minnesotans, rather than at them, and portrays main characters such as Marge and her husband as loving and kind rather than stupid and shallow. See the movie for the brilliant writing and acting. Macy's portrayal of a man imploding is wonderful.
Rating:
Summary: funny?? not really..
Review: I really do think the story should have some humor seeing as how people consider it a "dark comedy". Yes, it is dark.. but it's failure to make me laugh is hard to look past. But this doesn't necessarily make it a bad movie. Besides the annoyingly overreacted accents, it did manage to keep me watching. Good acting and a great story, very much worth taking a look at. I did like the movie, at times.. it did tend to bore me however. But it's a good movie... not the greatest movie, but good or at least decent. Worth watching, buying however... I don't know. Not something I'd really watch twice.
Rating: 
Summary: lacking
Review: in my mind, this movie was actually pretty boring. when many people called it the best thriller of the year I went out and rented it....and found my self bored even before the lackluster ending. dont get me wrong, the acting by all most all of the cast was excellent, its just that the movie is pretty annoying and the fact that the townspeople say 'ja' atleast 5 times in every sentence can start grinding you nerves.
the story isnt really anything special...guy pays 2 guys to kidnapp his wife, guys screw up and [destroy] a few people.... the movie is short and there are no suspensful moments in the entire movie.
Rating:
Summary: My second favorite movie of all time
Review: A picture of a foot sticking out of a woodchopper is engraved on my brain. Of course, as with any Coen brothers' film, this is humorous, but in a dark sort of way. I watched this with my mother, but she had trouble understanding it all.
It all starts innocently enough with a humble car salesman, who gets involved in a huge fiasco that involves kidnapping his own wife, but luckily, there's a pregnant cop on his trail.
If I could, I would give these movie six stars. The Coen brothers are geniuses.
Rating:
Summary: Unique, dark film
Review: Out of all the people I know, I seem to be the only one who likes this movie. Yes, some of the accents are a bit annoying, but then again so is Jerry.
Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy)works for a car dealership and has been up to no good and now he's in financial trouble. Out of sheer desperation he hires two men to kidnap his wife. He plans to demand the ransom from her wealthy father. What should have been a simple crime goes terribly wrong. Three people are found dead in a small town called Brainerd where the local sheriff, Marge Gunderson (Francis McDormand) get on the case. Oddly enough, even though this film claims to be based on a true story, it's not.
Rating: 
Summary: Fargo
Review: This is a comedy? Seeing innocent people being murdered is not my idea of funny. A cars salemans wife is kidnapped and murdered because her weasel husband can extract money from her father. This movie sickened me.
Rating:
Summary: These boots are made for walkin' . . .
Review: 'Fargo' begins with white, emptiness, and cold. A car emerges from the bleak swirl of snow heading towards a bar in Fargo, North Dakota. 'Fargo' begins and ends with starkness.
The story is about a pathetic used-car salesman, Jerry Lundegaard, who devises a 'foolproof' scheme to gather the money needed to pay off his debts. He is cheating his customers and expects to get back on the right path after making a business deal that will hopefully get him out of possible bankruptcy. Lundegaard arranges his own wife's kidnapping, so he can share the ransom money (to be paid by her rich father) with the kidnappers. Unfortunately, almost everything that possibly could go wrong does, and does so horrifically.
This is where Marge Gunderson, Chief of Police, enters. She is generous, considerate, sharp as a tack, and in her second trimester of pregnancy. However, she does not let morning sickness and food cravings slow her down in her pursuit of the truth. We get to see all sides of the story from Marge's investigation, to Jerry's sweaty guilt, to the two kidnappers' twisted mission.
The absurdity of life is what the directors were getting at. 'Fargo' is a hard movie to categorize: it could be a black (very black) comedy or even a thriller. The quirky Minnesota accents and strangely lifelike little touches lend it humor, though there are no real jokes or classic comic gags. The entire film is rather distanced from the story and the characters, who have realistically pointless, stupid, and funny conversations.
The other side of the movie is gruesome and dark. Murders arise unexpectedly, and the violence is generally quick but grim. The violence, language (the f-word occurs an uncountable amount of times), and sexuality are what give 'Fargo' its deserved R rating.
The acting is excellent and profoundly understated. Characters are neither stylized nor implausibly smart and are quite believable. Frances McDormand plays the intrepid Marge Gunderson, one of the strangest detectives ever to grace the screen. She is considerate and intelligent, though not impossibly so. It is wonderful to see such a great role model, nearly flawless in her funny way, chase down the killers. McDormand gives warmth to her role and makes Gunderson a thoroughly lovable character.
Loser Jerry Lundegaard is played deftly by William H. Macy. We identify with his excruciating financial problems, and almost feel sorry for him. What keeps him from being completely pitiable is his stupidity and selfishness. On the selfish side, he is willing to put his wife in danger for money, and on the stupid side, he doesn't believe her life is in danger. Macy is not afraid to be the nervous, squealing pig that Lundegaard is.
The two kidnappers are Carl Showalter and Gaear Grimsrud, played by Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare, respectively. Showalter is the crude and talkative 'funny looking' little guy, who is greedy and foolish beyond belief. Grimsrud is the quiet hulk with ice in his veins. He is the silent psychopath who seems completely detached from the world and any emotions (well, unless it comes to soap operas). Together, the two really get on each other's nerves and provide some of the funniest scenes.
'Fargo' is one of the strangest and best movies I have ever seen. The cinematography, acting, and plot come together to make a brilliant movie. Its unremarkable aspect is what makes it so remarkable. Don't ask why the directors put something in. This movie breaks almost every single convention without blinking an eye. There are ironic contrasts and similarities, between the dramatic music and what is occurring on screen, and the blank landscape and the characters. The violence is somehow graphic and genuine, though not much is usually shown: 'Fargo' is an offbeat and dour masterpiece.
|
