Fargo Reviews

Very well written film full of twists and bleak events that strangely force you to look at your own life and situations in a new and enlightening way. Boasting a fantastic cast, it's impossible not to get involved in this believable and realistic film. The only problem maybe it that it's a bit too realistic, containing several slow and boring parts.

Slow moving, yet well-paced and holding an interesting premise, "Fargo" is not particularly one of my favourite Coen Brothers movies, but it presents a the murderous true story so well. The acting is very quirky and funny, while still being dark and serious, which is a tone that is very off-beat and enjoyable. I loved watching this film, and there are many classic film elements present, but I wish it could have gone a little further in terms of it's style. It felt like it had a brilliant atmosphere that was not explored quite enough. All-in-all, "Fargo" is great!

It's not as enjoyable as one would hope. In the end it's a drab film featuring an appealing turn from McDormand yet a plot that delivers little to the audience nor that is really that well crafted.

The Coen's combination of humor and violence have never been executed so well. McDormand is especially great.

This is a film with a really interesting story, and good performances by Macy, Buscemi and McDormand. This isn't the Coen brothers best work, but it is a solid movie nonetheless. The Coen brothers, however, seem to have trouble ending their movies, and this one is no exception.

Fargo is absolutely incredible. Every scene is captured with so many layers and layers of emotion and wit. A must watch.

The most absurd and crazy stories are still written by life itself. This is based on a real crime happening in Minnesota in the 1980s. Of course the Coen brothers find the right tone to tell this tale of greed, stupidity and violence. Sometimes you're not sure whether you're supposed to laugh or shake your head and end up doing both. The cast is excellent, especially William H. Macy as a man who is in way over his head and Frances McDormand as pregnant police woman, who's a lot smarter than she seems and gives the not very flattering portrayal of the local people a lovable face. As things get more and more dire, she is the beacon of common sense and humanity in midst of a circle of crime that goes further and further down the spiral. McDorman deserved her Oscar for that, just like the brilliant, funny, realistic and gloomy script. Probably the best Coens film of the 90s.

A pregnant cop investigates a series of murders when a kidnapping goes horribly wrong. Violent dark comedy. Good cast. Despite the opening intro, this is not a true story.

Crazy, but my lord is it entertaining. One of the best film's of the 90's.

Again the Coen Bros do what they do best and deliver a deliciously dark black comedy. Frances McDormand has to be one of my favourite actress' and does not fail to deliver in Fargo, which is one of my faves from the Bros.

The way Fargo's plot unravels is executed masterfully by the Coen brothers. Terrific dialogue, characters and performances feature in this fantastic crime dramaedy of sorts.

This cult classic is an hilarious black comedy full of action, suspense, and drama. I loved it, and I highly recommend it.

Sometimes, a lot of the time actually, I seem to forget how good of a movie Fargo truly is. I think a lot of movies that are deemed "Cult Classics" tend to warrant high expectations. When I first saw Fargo, I didn't really know what it was that made people so nuts over it. I think a lot of what makes Fargo great is when you aren't expecting something from it. It works a lot better as just a movie, not one with a ton of baggage. Much like The Usual Suspects, it was one of the most over-exposed movies of the 90s. Both movies have suffered over the years for being just too popular for their own good and for the wrong reasons a lot of the time. Now, I think enough time has passed that everyone can sit down and watch Fargo how it was meant to be seen.
Fargo essentially meshes crime, comedy, and drama all into one and makes a really unique effect with it. Most of the performances here are what makes it a comedy, the plot makes it indefinitely crime and the music sets a bizarre dramatic feeling that you don't see coming. William H. Macy, Frances McDormand and the rest of the Minnesota based characters are all over-played caricatures, earning them really funny moments where there might not otherwise be any. Those accents are completely ridiculous, but somehow it just fits into the whole nutball series of events. The plot is really interesting in that the movie zigzags around it rather than the other way around. Instead of introducing us to all the principle characters first, it takes us almost forty minutes to get around to our principle character. I think that takes away any sort of predictability away from the story; what happens, happens. The Coen Brothers definitely take a very interesting approach to the music in this, it just really has an amazing effect on setting the mood and bring emotional weight to what is happening.
Now this, like all of the Coen Brother's movies, is extremely well shot and put together flawlessly. They are extremely talented writers/directors that seem to just get movies in a way that not many others do. You can tell they know film history like the backs of their hands and have the up most respect for the process. You can see how much time and effort is put into each of their movies and this is one of the prime examples of it. Everything you feel is meant to be felt and that is a kind of control that is hard to achieve.

The Coen Brothers' comedies (and this is very much one of their comedies) always seem a bit insignificant in comparison to their dramas (like "No Country for Old Men" and "A Serious Man"). This is because they are concerned with the stupidity of people and there is only so much one can do with that topic. "Burn After Reading" and "Intolerable Cruelty" are so fluffy that they could essentially evaporate in front of you. What saves "Fargo" from this fate is that it plays around, quite nicely, with expectation in truth and lie. That pesky "based on a true story' title card certainly mixes things up. "Fargo" also works as well as it does because of Frances McDormand, William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi's performances. They always remain real, pointed and hilarious. "Fargo" is a neat little movie that is full of wit and some interesting existential dilemmas.

Fargo is one of the Coens best movies. It is nearly flawless in the way it presents its story. Everyones heard about Frances McDormands Oscar winning performance and I think that overshadows the great performance by William H. Macy. His performance as Jerry Lundegaard is easily his best. The movie is a complete masterpiece on very conceivable level.

absofreakinglutely genius. fargo is one of my favourite films. with an explosive combination of action, comedy, gore, sex and suspense, joel and ethan coen have made a masterful film.

A film that really has to be seen a few times to be greatly appreciated. Coen Brothers work their finest, and this might be, if not is, their best film (critically). But I enjoyed No Country for Old Men far more. It was much more entertaining in my opinion. Great writing, superb acting, and direction that's second to none. But it sacrifices it's ability to captivate me throughout the entire movie, save for a few scenes (woodchipper, anyone?). If there was an option, I'd give it in between a 4 and 4.5.