The first time I saw Fargo by Ethan and Joel Coen, I didn’t know what to make of it. Was it supposed to be a drama? Was it supposed to be a comedy? Why did all the characters sound like goons? I didn’t like it at all.
But because there was so many critics said it was one of the best films out there at the time, I decided to give it another chance. I forced myself to watch it again the very next day, which is something I rarely do.
I liked the movie much better the second time around. I started to understand the humor a bit more and liked the darker elements of the movie. I appreciated Steve Buscemi’s performance, as well as William H. Macy’s. I wasn’t completely sold on Frances McDormand, however, and still don’t get why her turn as Marge was Oscar-worthy.
Anyway, Fargo tells the story of Jerry Lundegaard (Macy), who is badly in need of money. He devises a scheme to get money from his rich father-in-law by hiring two thugs (Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to “kidnap” his wife. His father-in-law would then pay the ransom, which Jerry would split with the kidnappers.
However, Murphy’s Law is alive and well in this film and just about everything goes wrong with the plan. I won’t get into specifics here, but it turns into one big, gruesome mess.
Fargo is now one of my favorite movies, and I watch it a couple times a year — and I’m not a diehard Coen brothers fan or anything like that. Check it out if you haven’t seen it yet!