Fargo

Fargo, more than any of the Coens’ other work, is a study in contrast, namely in the sense that it’s made by two people who were clearly at one time insiders, but who have now taken the opportunity to see the Midwestern template from the outside. As such, every interaction in the film registers as a direct reflection of incongruous elements and repressed tensions.

This may be the warmest movie the Coen brothers have ever made. There's something unmistakably human beneath the oh-so-clever surface.

The fans of their best work -- "Blood Simple, "Raising Arizona," "Barton Fink" -- now can add Fargo to the list, pushing the Coens to the first rank of contemporary American filmmakers. [8 March 1996, Friday, p.B]

The Coens are masters at striking a tone and holding it.

The Coens haven't been this sharp, focused and fluid since their first film. This is "Blood Simple's" promise fulfilled.

This mordant, macabre look at the American obsession with fast food, television and murder is icily funny.

All attitude and low aptitude.

Here an other Coen brothers' masterpiece. Every shot here is like a painting and the film is also beautifully edited other than directed. This movie is a mix of dark comedy, thrilling and splatter with explosions of violence that really fit the movie's main theme : human stupidity. You have Coen at their best here. Easily one of Coen's best movies.

A Quiet, Clumsy, and Pathetic Suburban Suspense Where Only the Cozy Warmth of "This Is Life" in Bed Truly Lingers.231210 (3.0)A quiet, clumsy, and pathetic suburban suspense that leaves only the warm and cozy reassurance of lying in bed and whispering that this is life. The opening text claims it is based on a true story, but it turns out that was just a clever fake designed to disguise the fiction as reality. The quirks given to the hitmen are hilarious: a killer obsessed with a pancake breakfast, a killer terrified of getting cancer from secondhand smoke, and a killer desperately searching for ointment the second he gets a minor scratch—these unexpected eccentricities are classic tropes. Jerry hires two criminals to kidnap his own wife because he thinks his wealthy father-in-law will never lend him quick cash, completely neglecting his son Scotty in the process. The terrified wife panics upon seeing the kidnapper and ends up tumbling down the stairs. The giant Paul Bunyan lumberjack statue at the entrance of Brainerd looks so familiar, making one wonder if GTA 5 parodied it. During the kidnapping, when pulled over by a state trooper, the hitman simply shoots him dead and then murders an innocent teenage couple who happened to witness the crime. Local police chief Marge Gunderson steps in to lead the investigation, remarkably active and sharp even while heavily pregnant and dealing with lingering morning sickness. One of the women who sold her body to the killers turns out to be Brenda from "Young Sheldon"—the exact same actress! The hitman even shoots the wealthy father-in-law who brought the ransom money, pocketing the cash meant for Jerry, but his fellow killer ends up murdering him with an axe and feeding him into a woodchipper without even knowing about the stash. Marge's marksmanship is stunning when she shoots the fleeing criminal right in the leg from a great distance. Still, I wonder if I have become too accustomed to intense modern stimuli, because it is hard to pinpoint which exact moment elevated this film to the status of an absolute masterpiece. It is difficult to see where extraordinary acting prowess was strictly required; while I genuinely admire Frances McDormand, it is puzzling to identify which specific part earned the Best Actress Oscar. Considering 1996 is relatively recent, I cannot help but wonder why the universal acclaim does not fully resonate with me.

This movie is well done; however, it's so dark and dreary that I couldn't enjoy the black humour. If you want a crime film with good acting, a plot that you can't guess, and if you can stomach a miserable tone throughout the movie - this film is for you.

Don't mistake my low score for thinking it is a bad movie. It just wasn't for me. IMO, It was a bit too slow and predictable. I understand for its time that it may have been well-received but I don't believe this is the kind of movie that has aged well at all.

The movie was boring, unfunny and not that well acted. The characters were all annoying (Especially the pregnant cop) and the story was very stupid and unbelievable. This overrated movie doesn't deserve all the praise it gets.