Fargo

Rating:
Summary: A bloody laugh-riot...
Review: In the history of Hollywood, there few movies harder to gauge than Fargo. Yes, it's a comedy, but at times you feel guilty about laughing so hard because of all of the on-screen carnage. Joel and Ethan Coen's nightmarish telling of a kidnapping which goes horribly awry leaves little to the imagination, showing virtually every gory and violent detail. However, along the way you begin to learn a lot about the characters you're watching, and you even start to care about some of them. You also find yourself chuckling at things you wouldn't think are funny -- violence, pregnancy and legs sticking out of wood-chippers, to name a few.

While I would not rate this up with Raising Arizona, this certainly does rank among the best films the Coens have made to date. And with top-flight performances by Frances McDormand, William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi, it's more than worth watching. If you're a Coen fan, this is a must-add to your collection.

Rating:
Summary: get a good edtion out
Review: This is a great movie, But Just like Pulp Fiction it does not take advantage of the dvd format, Actaully the coen brothers would be one of the best people to do a commentery and it looks like there will be one on man who wasn't there. But back to this disc don't buy Mgm Please release a special Edtion, I mean we have a Usaul Suspucts S.E next month and that dvd had some cool features on the regular version. Fargo fans need a disc with tons of extras. Maybe Crirerion will release one I would glady pay the extra cash to have this movie on a qaulity dvd with tons of extras.

Rating:
Summary: "Yer darn tootin'!"
Review: This is the Coen Brothers' very best movie (thus far), and boy howdy is that saying a lot. *Fargo* is, perhaps more than anything else, a twisted tribute to their home-state of Minnesota and the Northern Plains states in general, and it may be the only movie in history fitting such a description. For that reason alone, it'll always be remembered. For such a brief feature film (97 minutes), the Scandinavian-American people, mythology, setting, and (most amusingly) diction are thoroughly documented: the parkas, scarves, snow-boots, windshield scrapers, fricassee restaurants, ice-fishing enthusiasts, lakes, Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox . . . it's all here. The names are also all of a piece: Jerry Lundegaard. Wade Gustafson. Geaer Grimsrud. Norm "Son-of-a" Gunderson. Shep Proudfoot. Oh yeah, it's all very over-the-top, and some Minnesotans have even decided to take offense to this movie (this from the same people who elected a pro-wrestler as their Governor!). I suppose one could castigate the Coens for such an exaggerated portrayal . . . but one may as well castigate Mark Twain for giving Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer dialects, too. Obviously, not all boys from Missouri spoke like Huck and Tom, even in the 19th century, and not all folks from Minnesota say things like "Okeydokey", "Yeah good", etc. The milieu of *Fargo* is utterly unique, and it's FUNNY -- so lighten up! But moving beyond this . . . The plot, based on an alleged "true story" (though some say the Coens made the whole thing up), is also massively detailed for an hour-and-a-half-long movie. Suffice to say it's about a financially-strapped car salesman named Jerry Lundegaard who resorts to hiring a couple of idiots to "fake"-kidnap his wife, the idea being to extort a million or so from the father-in-law. William H. Macy turns in a performance that's ultimately terrifying as the morally blank Jerry. Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare take full advantage of the opportunities given them by the brilliant Coens. I also found amusing Harve Presnell as the father-in-law who is clearly more concerned about his million bucks than he is about his own daughter. All the kooky accents and chipper personalities and silly phrases hide an ugly penchant for greed. Counter to all this is the character of Margie Olmstead, 7-months-pregnant sheriff of Brainerd, whose simple goodness, if nothing else, eventually stops the spreading evil. Frances McDormand's performance is iconic, making Margie one of the most unforgettable heroines ever in movies. See the movie for her sake, if nothing else. A uniquely American masterpiece. [The DVD has been digitally remastered, although I still saw scratches during the opening credits. No extras -- which I really don't care much about anyway, but I must say it would've been nice. Ah, who cares. Buy the DVD -- if you don't, your collection simply isn't complete.]

Rating:
Summary: A great dark comedy
Review: I loved Fargo. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that I have seen better movies, and I'll reserve the extra star for them. But I completely enjoyed Fargo. The acting by Frances McDormond is masterful, as are the performances of nearly all of the cast. The mood is interesting, and the cinematography and sound are excellent. This really comes off great on DVD.

Not a lot of extras thrown in, but the movie is well worth it without it.

If you enjoy dark, slightly twisted comedies, then this is for you.

Rating:
Summary: Definitely a top 100 of all time! Bob's choice not Sophie's!
Review: The other day, I was at the department store and had a choice of two DVD's. One was ranked number 7 , in AFI's list of greatest movies of all time, The Graduate, the other was Fargo, ranked 84th. I chose Fargo. Why? The Graduate was a dated film just five years after its release. Check out a real graduate in 1967, then one in 1972 and you'll see. Fargo will never be dated. It is a dark, riveting, humorous character study of desperate folks, money, crime and violence. It's stark snow white setting is incongruous to this dark tale, but so is the dialogue, the humor and everything else in this masterpiece. The Coens are not like everybody else in Hollywood and that's good. One of the most fascinating films I've ever seen. This one will not show its age like The Graduate. I made the right choice. By the way, the actor's are all superb, especially Macy, Oscar-winner McDormand and the two actors who played the slimy creeps. They were as creepy as you can get. Great suspenseful entertainment!

Rating:
Summary: DO NOT BUY THIS MOVIE....
Review: ...if you are expecting, as I was, a movie that can live up to another Coen Bros. movie, such as The Big Lebowski. I rented Fargo under the assumption that it would be as funny and satiracal as The Big Lebowski, but what I found was a tragic tale of misfortune with some comedy thrown in.
I laughed outloud at this movie maybe twice. In all, a total of six people died, and not even in comical fashion. The only thing good I can think to say about Fargo is that the characters did an amazing acting job, and I think this movie could have been alot better if the Coens would have used similar elements as those of their other films.
Overall, I would advise the average comedy moviegoer to steer clear of this picture, unless you're really into drama or are currently taking antidepressant medication.

Rating:
Summary: slow mo the cops brains splattering
Review: The best part of this movie on DVD is you can slow motion the scene when the highway patrolman's skull is opened with a bullet, the blood poor and splatter is excellent.

Rating:
Summary: Quite possibly my favorite movie ever made...
Review: If you're looking for a movie that combines excellent acting, a first-rate story, and a hilarious satire of the upper-midwest, then you've found it here. Steve Buscemi, Bill Macy, Peter Stormare, and Francis McDormand all shine in this brilliantly directed film. Dark humor and clever camera angles abound in this one-of-a-kind instant classic. A must-see.

Rating:
Summary: This is it. This is the Coens' best movie.
Review: The peek of Joel and Ethan Coen's film making career came in 1996 with the film, Fargo. We will always remember great moments such as Blood Simple, Miller's Crossing, and Barton Fink. Sadly the Coen's have been on a decline since then. Fargo, like Barton Fink, is a film that makes you take what is essentially a big joke very seriously. Macy's Jerry Lundegaard is the type of guy everyone knows and could joke about such a harmless person trying to be a criminal mastermind. Ha! Little touches like the Polka King poster (in a rather dramatic scene) serve to remind us how silly the whole thing is as we are being completely drawn in to the twisty plot. I recommend owning this movie. I watch it over and over. I don't think any of it actually takes place in the city of Fargo. If it does it's only a short bit. Fargo is not, in fact, based on a true story. .... Don't look for the money, people, it's a work of fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Great Dialogue,Great Character's A Great Story!
Review: The Coen brothers are two of my favourite movie makers around.They rarely seem to make a dull film and have made plenty of thought provoking,funny,violent films.Of all their films though I would have to say that Fargo is still my favourite.

The premise of the story is just so simple,yet it meanders off into a nightmare scenario in much the same way that Scorcese's After Hours did.The best part of this film though are the characters and the dialogue which is both witty,pitiful and yet certain characters show a cuteness which belies the fact that they may be seen intially as 'simple' folk.The best example of this,is the character played by Frances McDormand who comes across as a happy-go-lucky country cop,yet underneath this veneer is a sharpness and ruthlessness that when tested is well able to bite.The way she deals with the evasive William H Macy and her old school colleague is amazing.She's always polite yet she lets people know exactly what she wants and she usually gets it.She also displays a deep down warmth even when she's a witness to appalling scenes of brutality.Her speech at the end of the movie is truly memorable-it's rare that her words of such simplicity can have such a startling effect on the viewer.

William H Macy is also excellent in his role as the "loser" husband who nobody really pays much attention to and who is the catalyst for the unravelling nightmare of events.Undervalued in his role at work by both his rich father in law and his colleagues,he seeks to gain a tidy nest egg for himself by arranging the kidnapping of his wife.When he meets the two kidnappers it seems like such a simple scenario,but call it bad luck or just plain incompetence on everbody's part it ends up in an unholy mess.Steve Buscemi is excellent,as usual,as the kidnapper with the "funny lookin' appearance".

This movie has so many simple comic moments,so many hilarious cameo scenes from the various characters who are questioned by the police.It also has a certain amount of violent scenes that are more akin to "Blood Simple" then a straight forward comedy.It's totally gripping throughout-you know the sort of movie that you play once and then want to watch it over again immediately.