Fargo (1996)

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Director: Joel Coen

Writers: Ethan Coen & Joel Coen

Stars: Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, Harve Presnell, Kristin Rudrud, Tony Denman



A pair of dim-witted crooks (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) and a pathetic car salesman (William H. Macy) imploding with frustration conspire to ransom the salesman's wife (Kristin Rudrud) to her rich father (Harve Presnell). 



Enter Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand), the pregnant chief of police of Fargo, Minnesota. 



She's a good police officer with a good heart, and one of the pleasures of this excellent film is watching the contrast between her routine, ordinary life and the pathetic, scrambling desperation of the vicious criminals of this story. 



The steps in her chain of reasoning that leads to a surreal confrontation are buried in the mundane details of her daily life, making it seem as if the discovery of an important clue is no more important than what Marge chooses for lunch at the buffet. 



No film has done a better job at revealing the nobility of living a seemingly routine, mundane life in which one just plugs away, harming no one and maybe even doing a little good.

 


Fine work from the Coen brothers and the entire cast.




















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