Fargo Reviews

The Coens at the top of their game

Fargo represents The Coen Brothers at the very pinnacle of their creatrive genius. Combining an interesting plot with black comedy and characters you cannot help but engage with, Fargo is a film that you will remember for a LONG time.

The story is supposedly 'base on actual events' tht took place in 1988, but it is really nothing more than your typical kidnap gone wrong. What makes is so much better than any other film like this, is the way the Coens inject their own brand of humour throughout as well as giving the story a couple of unique twists.

William H Macy is simply brilliant as the car salesman put under pressure to recoup the money he has stolen from his work, and Steve Buscemi steals the whole film as part of the hapless duo who agree to kidnap his wife for ransom.

Frances Mcdormand does a great job as the sheriff of the small town of Fargo, but her relationship with her husband is not what you would call typical...

If you haven't seen Fargo yet, you absolutely must rent this now. If you have, then you already know why this film is definitely one to catch again.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Best of the brothers!

Frances McDormand's Oscar must've been one of the Academy's easiest decisions to make. Still by far the best film to come from the Coen Brothers.

Strange and compellingly

Deceptively accessible for a Coen film this is none the less just as "strange" and compellingly engaging as the other more obscure films from these two bothers. From the opening scenes right through to the gory ending its one of those movies where you stay entranced throughout. More violent than others of the type but oddly the violence is done in such a way that it draws a smile rather than a grimace. Great stuff.

Yah, a really great movie, you betcha.

Put simply this is my favourite film of all time and i've watched many.

This film is one of the few films made since 1990 to feature in the 'American Film Institutes' Top 100 films of all time. Critically acclaimed films such as Pulp Fiction and Goodfellas appear lower in the table than this gem.

Rightly so, this film combines comedy, drama, action with superb performances by Frances McDormand (Oscar winning), Steve Buscemi and William H Macy.

Beautifully shot in the snowy wastelands of Minnesota/North Dakota this story tells of a financially troubled car salesman (hilariously played by Oscar nominated Macy) who will stop at nothing to clear his debts, even at the expense of his family.

The Coen brothers at their best.

Rent it if you're unsure..... then buy it and enjoy forever.

Fargo

This film is absolute rubbish. Why is it called Fargo? Why is the car salesman in debt? why does it show the police as having a very low IQ? I would not recommend this film to anybody!

Genius?

The Fargos have never been a massive favourite of mine, as i find their output too varied to judge. While films such as The Big Lebowski have instantly become personal favourites of mine, others, such as The Man Who Wasn't There, have struck me as boring and clinical.

Fargo, then, was a mixed bag. It is championed by many as the Coens' finest film, and was even recognised at the Oscars. The casting is impeccable, with pitch-perfect turns from Steve Buscemi, William H Macy and Frances Macdormand, who manage to tread a very thin line between charicature and character without ever putting a foot wrong. The cinematography perfectly catches the chill, often barren landscape, which resonates well with the films themes of emotional coldness.

Other than that, though, nothing really struck me. The plot, such as it is, goes nowhere and takes rather a long time in so doing, and the laughs are too infrequent and incidental to really justify the term 'comedy'. I would recommend this to people who like their humour dark, and don't need a film to neatly present a pleasing conclusion for them to enjoy it. But, for my money, if you want a Coen brothers thriller, rent Blood Simple, and if a comedy is what you're after, then you can't go wrong with The Big Lebowski.

A poorly acted film

I found both the acting, and the script particularly drole, with Buscemi as the only solid performance throughout. The scripts seemed to have entire sections devoted to two characters saying 'yah', '...yah', to each other over and over again. I truly nearly turned this film off half way through. There are no plot twists, clever ideas, no jumps, no action sequences, and barely a laugh. The pregnant main character repeats the same '... Can I sit down ... I'm carrying quite a load' joke to every person. There are characters that appear to have no relevance to any other part of the film (such as the oriental individual from the restaurant).

A truly appalling film.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Fargo

Horriby violent & scary. Really didn't like it.

An excellent film, it kept us very involved and entertained to the end, not something many films achieve.

The Oscar for the leading actress was in our view well deserved. Would recommend it to anyone.

Quirky and unusual

This is one film that lived up to the hype. I had no idea what to expect, but it was surprisingly absorbing.

A very good story line is underpinned with humour, excellent characterisation and a "grittiness" that creeps up on you.

Somehow, this is surprising in an unsurprising way. The twists are unexpected but presented uniquely in a way that makes you believe that you expected them.