Fargo is an American classic. The darkest, funniest one I've seen--next to No Country for Old Men. Set in the folksy Midwest, it is the story of a pathetic man (William H. Macy) who hires second-rate criminals (Peter Stormare and Steve Buscemi) to kidnap his wife while the chief of police Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) tracks them down. As events spiral wildly out of control, we catch a glimpse at just how far men will go to save themselves. And yet we laugh. At the most morbid moments. The Coens manage to integrate the holy and profane with aplomb, seemingly reckless abandon for "proper" emotional or comedic timing. Tension coexists with humor, the banal with the bizarre. The crime story is electrifying and gripping while the dialect brings an unrelenting charm to every scene. Fargo is unique and inimitable--in a word, unforgettable.
The cinematography and editing are spot-on. The snow is beautiful and evocative, the fades unobtrusive and descriptive. The writing and acting are indelible. Their accents and mannerisms are tattoos, inseparable from the characters. The technical achievements are amongst the best film has to offer. And yet we see the movie's genius in the smallest moments--the moments other writers wouldn't have envisioned and other producers wouldn't have kept. The ones that define the places, the characters, and life as a whole. We see lonely desperation as it turns to inexplicable, irreversible mistakes. We see how common sense and hard work can be all you need for success. We see the tallest reaches and deepest depths of humankind, and are shocked by them both. The ending is one of the most tender, uplifting ones I have witnessed. And not to be missed.IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0116282/