In Fargo, North Dakota Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) stops at a watering hole called “King of Clubs”. Jerry is traveling from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Attached to his car is a trailer towing another car. Jerry is an executive sales manager for his father-in-law’s, Wade Gustafson (Harve Presnell), car dealership. Jerry is in debt and needs money. His father-in-law is rich, but miserly. To get the cash he needs Jerry has come up with, what he thinks is, a great plan.
At the King of Clubs Jerry has a meeting with a couple hired thugs, Carl Showalter (Steve Buscemi) and Gaear Grimsrud (Peter Stormare). In exchange for $40,000 and a new car they will kidnap Jerry’s wife, Jean (Kristin Rudrud). Jerry will then tell his father-in-law that the kidnappers demand $80,000 for her return. The kidnappers would get their $40,000 and Jerry would get $40,000 and be able to pay his debt. At least that is what he is telling the kidnappers.
The guys kidnap Jean and head out to a remote cabin. On the way, in the township of Brainerd, Minnesota, they are stopped by a highway patrolman (James Gaulke). Gaear shoots the trooper. Before they can get rid of the body another car comes by and sees the dead trooper. Gaear takes off after the other car and kills the people who witnessed the murder. Now there are three dead people strewn around the highway.
Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) is the police chief of Brainerd, Minnesota. When the bodies on the highway are discovered, Marge is called in to investigate. Marge is very pregnant but as Chief of Police she is also on duty 24-7.
Jerry tells Wade that the kidnappers called and are demanding a million dollars ransom. Wade wants to negotiate for a smaller ransom, but Jerry tells him that the kidnappers insisted on the full ransom and that the police should not be called. The kidnappers, now that three people have been murdered, demand what they think is the entire ransom, $80,000. As Jerry tries to control his father-in-law, Marge begins following the clues that lead her to the car dealership and Jerry.
“Fargo” was released in 1996 and was written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It is an American crime thriller and a dark comedy.
I liked this movie a lot. It’s funny and creepy at the same time. There’s a lot going on here, especially when things start going wrong for everyone. The humor is mostly subtle but punctuated with dark drama and wild scenes that are stark and cold. White snow is often splashed with blood and snowstorms and whiteouts dominate the scenery adding to the dreary landscape. Everything about the film is spot on, from directing to dialogue to cinematography, the Coen brothers made one of the best movies ever.
In the beginning of the film there is a statement saying that the film is based on a true story. The Coen brothers later confessed that it was not. Frances McDormand and Joel Coen have been married since 1984. The only part of the movie that takes place in Fargo is the beginning where Jerry brings the car to the kidnappers.
In 2006, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".