MUBI

Totally overrated, but I guess it’s not bad at what it’s trying to do. I really don’t get why anyone would wanna watch this again though, the atmosphere is too bleak and gruesome, but at least I squeezed the lemon out of it, you know? Like imagine I took half a lemon and sucked on it, then tossed the remaining. Let me explain for you: the thriller parts had me chilled! A kidnapping with a cooking commercial playing in the background? Dang… The way he walks up the stairs has got to be the perfect stimulus to accelerate the mind into total panicking. But what really gave me a feel for this movie was the chase/murder scene purported by that guy “without hesitation.” When he got out of his car… dang. Then the comedy started flowing and at this point my mouth is overcome with sourness. I don’t know which scene is funnier: the interview with the prostitutes (yeah?) or the meeting with an old high school acquaintance… actually the later is funnier.

I’m not too much into the Coen’s style at this point.

I can’t really say anything bad about this because there is nothing wrong with it. The visuals and content are flawless and the characters performed to perfection. However, the main thing this movie does is make you not want to meet anyone from Minnesota, those accents are deadly. That being said, all the performances are all really well done; Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare are incredible together. On top of that there is a really interesting story going on, it’s a very different type of crime film. The multiple perspectives and change in typical location makes this a very unique type of film. It’s not my favorite Coen Brother’s movie, but it’s certainly well done and perfect for what it is.

Sickening and delightful, Fargo is a slice-of-life hyberolized in a way that only The Coens can offer. The story, while seemingly light on moral and theme, is very heavy on the mind. The stupidity of the unconventional villains (Buscemi, Stormare, and Macy) are wonderfully matched with the naivety of the heroine (Frances McDormand). But as naive as she is, her firm ideals and genuine goodness make her loveable. Fargo is simultaneously hysterical and disturbing, a combination that the Coens have pinned and use incrimentally in their work.

(Originally written March 13, 2005)

Fargo dances a strange line between film noir and comedy and takes many risks. Like most other film noirs, it does not make explicit statements about the morality of the characters and the situations. The film simply presents the story, and the audience decides on its own what to make of the story. The peculiarity of the events and the characters give this film an interesting tone and unique atmosphere. The characters are all memorable, particularly Steve Buscemi as Carl, one of the two kidnappers in this movie. The contrast between him as and Peter Stormare as Gaear makes for a strange chemistry that results in some of the best lines of the film.

“‘No.’ That’s the first thing you’ve said in the last four hours. That’s, a fountain of conversation there, buddy. That’s a geyser.”

William H. Macy gives a great performance as a man who makes stupid decisions because of his guilty conscience. He is caught in a cycle of self-perpetuating rash actions. He is absolutely paranoid in the conversation between him and police officer Marge, played by Frances McDormand in an Oscar-winning role. Macy hilariously reacts even though McDormand is kind and decent, simply doing her job. Marge is an interesting character because she, pregnant and close to her loving husband, is able to effectively do the dangerous parts of her job as an enforcer of the law, willing to put herself in danger. Everything in this film fits together perfectly: the art direction, acting, script and score. What could have been an over-the-top thriller in lesser hands is a subtle cinematic masterpiece in the hands of the Coen brothers.