Frances McDormand, Harve Presnell, John Carroll

Jerry Lundegaard is a car salesman in Minneapolis who has gotten himself into debt and is so desperate for money that he hires two thugs to kidnap his own wife. Jerry will collect the ransom from her ...( read more  read more... )wealthy father, paying the thugs a small portion and keeping the rest to satisfy his debts. The scheme collapses when the thugs shoot a state trooper and two innocent bystanders in rural Minnesota, drawing local Police Chief Marge Gunderson into her first homicide investigation. At first unaware that the homicides are connected to a Minneapolis kidnapping, Chief Gunderson draws closer to Jerry Lundegaard as his situation further unravels.

Flixster Users

91% liked it

193,104 ratings

Critics

94% liked it

63 critics

R, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: Joel Coen

Release Date: March 8, 1996

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DVD Release Date: June 24, 1997

Stats: 12,369 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (12,369)


  • September 3, 2009
    The story is beautifully simple, but its the characters and the actors performances that make this film so brilliant. It's easily McDormand's best to date. The best thing about this film is that when it came out cinema was going through a bit of a stale patch but when Fargo came ...( read more)out, they really raised the game and between 96 and 99, so many instant classic were produced. I really do think the Coen brothers are due credit for that, although they themselves are still on top of their game and untouchable.
  • September 2, 2009
    Funny movie. Macy really got on my nerves, but otherwise I really enjoyed it.
  • August 2, 2009
    seen it a load of times and again recently. i think this is my favourite coen brothers film. it just seems so natural. you could believe it was real, even though it wasn't a true story. haha! tell that to the woman who came all the way from tokyo to fargo to try find and dig up t...( read more)he money. william h. macy does some awesome acting as the nervous car salesman. i always like watching frances act and there's something disturbingly comforting about watching her and john carroll lynch as husband and wife in their home life. it's the safety blanket from steve buscemi's hitman character... and don't forget peter stormare's mr talkative
  • July 29, 2009
    "A homespun murder story."

    Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of pregnant Marge Gunderson.

    REVIEW

    Dark comic u...( read more)ndertones and excellent character actor performances dominate this richly macabre crime story gone awry flick by the Coen brothers(Joel and Ethan) involving pathetic used car salesman Macy so hard up for money and respect (not necessarily in that order) that he hires a pair of dim-witted thugs to kidnap his wife for ransom from his father-in-law's vast wealth in a plot-line that unravels with nice little twists and snags. McDormand (Best Actress) is perfect as a pregnant Midwestern sheriff on the case with a no-nonsense and homespun effect with her tactics of crime solving. Great cinematography by Roger A. Deakins accentuates the bleak winterscape of unearthed uneasiness. Nominated for Best Supporting Actor Macy, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Academy Award winner for Best Original Screenplay.
  • February 6, 2009
    A watchable film with some good characters.
  • November 16, 2009
    15-11-09
    "A homespun murder story."
    Very american movie.I cannot see anything special about it.
    An ordinary story without suspense.Moreover,They behave weirdly as if they were aliens,the way they talk, act, walk especially the officer with her husband.
  • November 15, 2009
    As a fan of many of the other films by the Coen Brother's, I was eagerly anticipating watching this film. Maybe their recent films that I have seen made me build it up to be more than it was. Due to this, or maybe just the fact of the film, I wasn't as impressed as I was expectin...( read more)g to be. I found 'No Country For Old Men' a lot more enjoyable to watch. But saying this they are aimed at slightly different genres. Yes, both have plenty of blood and killing in but 'Fargo' is more of a comedy. This is perhaps why I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I was going to.
    After seeing 'Fargo' once and not being completely impressed I am going to give it a second go, going into it this time with a different mentality and expectation for it than I had gone into it previously.
  • November 13, 2009
    A very hard film to watch, but a brilliant dark comedy.
  • October 31, 2009
    I don't get why this was such a popular, "great" movie. I didn't hate it, but I didn't particularly like it either.
  • October 31, 2009
    !Comercial or Stupid! :|

Critic Reviews


January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

To watch it is to experience steadily mounting delight, as you realize the filmmakers have taken enormous risks, gotten away with them and made a movie that is completely original, and as familiar as ... full review

View more Fargo reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • bchiang
    October 23, 2009
    MGM Soundboard App NOW AVAILABLE for the iPhone!

    Visit the MGM page on the iTunes Apps Store now and quickly download soundboards from your all time favorite films including: Rocky, Army of Darkness, Silence of the Lambs, RoboCop, and Fargo!



    Each MGM Soundboard App features 16 original audio clips and images straight from the film. A must have for every fan! More info at http://iphoneapps.mgm.com/.
  • scottydgibbs
    March 18, 2008
    he was kinda funny looking

    funny looking,, how

    oh just the regular kind a,way
  • littlebabycakes45
    January 19, 2007
    only for those with a warped sense of humor great movie

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