Fargo Movie Review
When I started "Stacy's Blog Has Got It Going On" one thing that I really wanted to do was write flashback reviews of TV shows, where I go back and look at how well shows hold up on re-watch. While trying to figure out which show to start with, I eventually settled on Fargo for a few reasons:
A: It remind me of home (Minnesota shout-out!).
B: I've been dying for an excuse to watch it again.
C: My roommate owns the first two seasons on Blu-ray.
So, this is the first part of my Fargo flashback review series. But I can't just start with the TV show, I have to back to where all this madness started: the movie.
Fargo, the movie, follows car salesman, Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy), who hires two cons (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife. Jerry plans to have his wealthy father-in law pay the ransom and then split the money with the cons. Things begin to spiral out of control when the job is bungled and several people end up dead. Small-town police chief, Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand), begins investigating the case. Jerry has to deal with the surprisingly skilled chief, as well as the greedy cons, and his stubborn father-in-law, as he tries to get away with his scheme.
What works:
EVERYTHING...basically. Fargo pretty much nails small-town life in Minnesota. Ya, you betcha, the accents are exaggerated, but the interactions between Marge, her husband Norm (John Carroll Lynch), and the other police officers really remind me of home. Best of all is the scene between one of the police officers and a witness near a grain elevator. The interactions between these two minor characters is the perfect representation of a small-town conversation. It's eerie how accurate it is.
Then of course there's the acting. William H. Macy is excellent as the bumbling Jerry. He perfectly portrays the inept and incompetent Jerry. He's in over his head and watching him stumble through his interactions with Marge is a joy to watch.
And speaking of Marge, Frances McDormand is amazing. The audience underestimates her from the beginning because of accent and her kind demeanor, but when we see her in action, we quickly learn she is a great police officer, and seeing her verbally take down Jerry is so satisfying.
All of the supporting actors deliver as well, especially Steve Buscemi. This movie works because of the performances. If Fargo had lesser actors, it wouldn't be nearly as good as it is. The writing and directing are both solid, but it's the acting that really carry this movie and make it truly memorable.
What sucks:
Nothing sucks in this movie. I just have two minor nitpicks. The first is I could have used more Marge in the movie. She doesn't show up until over a half hour into the movie, and what we have is amazing, but I could have used some more.
Secondly, there is a subplot where Marge meets with an old classmate, Mike Yanagita (Steve Park). It ends up making sense once you think about it, but it feels a tad out of place and it could have been more smoothly incorporated, but, again, these are minor nitpicks.
Verdict:
Fargo absolutely has it going on. It's a really fascinating thriller in an unusual (for most people) setting. It's has some truly legendary performances and has earned it's place as a true classic. And too have a TV show build on the legacy instead of tearing it down is truly a remarkable and amazing thing. If you haven't seen Fargo, drop what you're doing and go watch it. Especially if you're from Minnesota.
9/10: Great. Yer darn tootin' you should go watch it.
A: It remind me of home (Minnesota shout-out!).
B: I've been dying for an excuse to watch it again.
C: My roommate owns the first two seasons on Blu-ray.
So, this is the first part of my Fargo flashback review series. But I can't just start with the TV show, I have to back to where all this madness started: the movie.
Fargo, the movie, follows car salesman, Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy), who hires two cons (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife. Jerry plans to have his wealthy father-in law pay the ransom and then split the money with the cons. Things begin to spiral out of control when the job is bungled and several people end up dead. Small-town police chief, Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand), begins investigating the case. Jerry has to deal with the surprisingly skilled chief, as well as the greedy cons, and his stubborn father-in-law, as he tries to get away with his scheme.
What works:
EVERYTHING...basically. Fargo pretty much nails small-town life in Minnesota. Ya, you betcha, the accents are exaggerated, but the interactions between Marge, her husband Norm (John Carroll Lynch), and the other police officers really remind me of home. Best of all is the scene between one of the police officers and a witness near a grain elevator. The interactions between these two minor characters is the perfect representation of a small-town conversation. It's eerie how accurate it is.
Then of course there's the acting. William H. Macy is excellent as the bumbling Jerry. He perfectly portrays the inept and incompetent Jerry. He's in over his head and watching him stumble through his interactions with Marge is a joy to watch.
And speaking of Marge, Frances McDormand is amazing. The audience underestimates her from the beginning because of accent and her kind demeanor, but when we see her in action, we quickly learn she is a great police officer, and seeing her verbally take down Jerry is so satisfying.
All of the supporting actors deliver as well, especially Steve Buscemi. This movie works because of the performances. If Fargo had lesser actors, it wouldn't be nearly as good as it is. The writing and directing are both solid, but it's the acting that really carry this movie and make it truly memorable.
What sucks:
Nothing sucks in this movie. I just have two minor nitpicks. The first is I could have used more Marge in the movie. She doesn't show up until over a half hour into the movie, and what we have is amazing, but I could have used some more.
Secondly, there is a subplot where Marge meets with an old classmate, Mike Yanagita (Steve Park). It ends up making sense once you think about it, but it feels a tad out of place and it could have been more smoothly incorporated, but, again, these are minor nitpicks.
Verdict:
Fargo absolutely has it going on. It's a really fascinating thriller in an unusual (for most people) setting. It's has some truly legendary performances and has earned it's place as a true classic. And too have a TV show build on the legacy instead of tearing it down is truly a remarkable and amazing thing. If you haven't seen Fargo, drop what you're doing and go watch it. Especially if you're from Minnesota.
9/10: Great. Yer darn tootin' you should go watch it.
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