Fargo
(1996)
Starring
Frances McDormand, William H. Macy
Director
Joel Coen
Awards
Academy Awards
Actress - Frances McDormand
Best Screenplay - Joel Coen and
Ethan Coen
Academy Awards Nominations
Best Actress - Frances McDormand
Best Cinematography
Best Director - Joel Coen
Best Picture
Best Supporting Actor - William H.
Macy
Golden Satellite Awards from the International Press Association
Best Actress - Frances McDormand
Best Director - Joel Coen
Best Picture
Plot Synopsis
This black comedy revolves around a crime orchestrated by a
desperate, debt-ridden man, and its unexpected results. In dire need of money, Jerry
Lundegaard comes up with a plan: hire two thugs to kidnap his wife Jean, make Jean's rich
father shell out the ransom, and then use the money to pay off both the kidnappers and his
creditors. But what appears to be the perfect crime goes seriously awry when the goons
murder three people after abducting Jean. As a result, they soon have an intelligent, and
very pregnant, police chief named Marge Gunderson investigating the clues they've
carelessly left behind. The criminals must now collect the ransom before Marge puts all of
the pieces together, but that turns out to be harder than they thought.
Film Notes
"Leave it to the wildly inventive Coen brothers (Joel
directs, Ethan produces, they both write) to concoct a fiendishly clever kidnap caper
that's simultaneously a comedy of errors, a Midwestern satire, a taut suspense thriller,
and a violent tale of criminal misfortune. It all begins when a hapless car salesman
(played to perfection by William H. Macy) ineptly orchestrates the kidnapping of his own
wife. The plan goes horribly awry in the hands of bumbling bad guys Steve Buscemi and
Peter Stormare (one of them being described by a local girl as "kinda funny
lookin'" and "not circumcised"), and the pregnant sheriff of Brainerd,
Minnesota, (played exquisitely by Frances McDormand in an Oscar-winning role) is suddenly
faced with a case of multiple murders. Her investigation is laced with offbeat
observations about life in the rural hinterland of Minnesota and North Dakota, and Fargo
embraces its local yokels with affectionate humor. At times shocking and hilarious, Fargo
is utterly unique and distinctly American, bearing the unmistakable stamp of its inspired
creators." (Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com)
Although the movie begins with a written announcement appearing
on the screen that says the story is based on true events, newspaper articles said the
film is fictional. The Coens eventually admitted that they did make the narrative up.
Color by DuArt. Additional cast: John Carroll Lynch (Norm Gunderson). Additional credit:
John Cameron (line producer). The name listed in the credits for editor, "Roderick
Jaynes," is actually a pseudonym for filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen; they edit their
films in addition to writing, producing and directing them. Actress Frances McDormand, who
starred in the Coen Brothers' first film Blood Simple, is married to director
Joel Coen.
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