Of all the Cohen Brother's tremendously entertaining movies, this is the best. This is the one that they will be remembered for. William H. Macy plays Jerry Lundegaard, a man in a spot. He's a used car salesman that has been securing loans for cars that are not really in his lot. The bank is calling in the loans, threatening legal action, and he needs money fast. He forms a plan to have his own wife kidnapped, thereby splitting the ransom money between himself and the kidnappers. It's a terrible plan, and it quickly unravels into a bloody mess of murder and betrayal. When bodies begin to mount, a local police officer, Marge Gunderson, is called in. Frances McDormand plays Marge Gunderson, and she makes the movie magical.
McDormand won an Oscar for the role, and this is one instance when the recipient deserved the award. She plays "Margie" with a huge dose of humanity. She is a character that sneaks up on you. When she is introduced, you wonder if perhaps she is just a small town officer in way over her head. She is pregnant, speaks in small town (Minnesota) idioms, and throws up from morning sickness when investigating the first brutal murders. She seems more like a nice, Minnesotan housewife than a cop. But early you get the feeling that there is something special about her.
The killings involve a traffic cop that was killed while issuing a ticket for a missing plate. In his log book, he was written DLR. When Marge's fellow officer says that he has run a search for all tags starting with DLR, Marge says gently, "I'm not sure I agree with you 100 percent on your police work there, Irv." She explains to Irv that DLR means that it was a new car, a dealer's car. "Oooh" says Irv, staring into space. Then Marge tells Irv a joke about the guy that couldn't afford a vanity license plate, so he changed his name to FGS1135. "That's a good one," says Irv, but it is clear Marge's wit has gone over his head.
The brilliance of the scene is that Marge is never cruel or condescending to Irv, never thinks less of him, and is not making fun of him. She is simply enjoying her own intelligence, and we can see the very private sparkle in her eyes.
Marge also has a core of steel. Watch the scene where she gets information from a menacing suspect by reminding him, with almost motherly concern, about all the trouble he has been in with the law, and the fact that he is actually in violation of his parole. She cracks him like an egg without ever loosing her smile.
All actors concerned give great performances. Steve Buscemi brings his pitch-perfect snide larceny to the table, playing one of the kidnappers; and Peter Stormare (who once played Hamlet in an Igmar Bergman production) utters perhaps 15 words in a terrifying performance as the other kidnapper. And, of cource, William H. Macey couldn't have played it Better. His Jerry Lundegaard is so full of stress and fear, you can't watch him without squirming.
I have read where this film has been criticized for making fun of the people of Minnesota, poking fun at their accents and manners. This is not true. The Coen Brothers grew up in Minneapolis, and this is their homage to their own people. The folks in Minnesota may talk funny to the reviewers watching movies in New York and Los Angeles, but this film in no way makes fun of them. At the end of the day, Marge and her husband are happily going to sleep in their bed, in love with one another and content with their shared life. How many other couples portrayed in a Coen Brother's film can make this claim?
How anyone can watch Marge Gunderson in action and think the Coen's were making fun of her is beyond me. Like Marge, they are simply enjoying their own intelligence.
Buy Fargo (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) (1996) Now
Whenever I rave about a movie I've recently seen, there's the inevitable question "What's it about?" With regard to this film, I recall responding that it's about a pregnant police chief who eventually solves a series of brutal murders somewhere in the Upper Midwest. (Brainerd, Minnesota? Fargo, North Dakota?) It is always a pleasure to observe Frances McDormand's performance in a role for which she received an Academy Award for best actress in 1996. The film was directed by Joel Coen who co-wrote the screenplay with brother Ethan. This film effectively combines some of the most dead-on (albeit affectionate) cultural satire of Scandinavian Americans in "Small Town U.S.A." with severe physical violence as when one victim is stuffed upside-down in a wood chip machine. (When I first observed "Margie" methodically gathering information, I was reminded of Colombo whose keen mind is also underestimated.) The basic story involves Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy), a desperate swindler. After his wealthy father-in-law Wade Gustafson (played by Harve Presnell whom I did not recognize) refuses to become involved in a real estate project, Lundegaard hires Carl Showalter (Steve Buscemi) and Gaear Grimstad (Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife Jean (Kristin Rudrud) so that he can use most of the ransom to cover his debts and thereby conceal his crimes. Of course, his plan fails and several lose their lives as a result. As the film ends, the camera focuses on Chief Gunderson as drives her police sedan across the bleak winter landscape (think of the surface of the moon beneath three feet of snow and ice), with one of the two kidnappers in custody. She claims not to understand how anyone could behave badly in such a "beautiful" world.Yes, this is a nasty film...at times severely violent. It also has a number of delightful comic moments, notably during Chief Gunderson's conversations with her husband Norm (John Carroll Lynch) as well as with Lundegaard. The acting by all members of the cast is consistently brilliant under Coen's crisp direction. After numerous viewings, what I still enjoy most in this film is McDormand's performance. Chief Gunderson may have a trusting heart but also a remarkably sharp mind. She wants so much to believe in goodness, to think the best of others, but she is by no means naive. As played by McDormand, she invests this film a warmth which is all the more remarkable, given the physical setting and time of the year.
Read Best Reviews of Fargo (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) (1996) Here
I can't believe how many reviewers neglected the fact that part of the genius of this movie is the way it is passed off as a true story. Even the rumor that the cop was really a man just fuels the belief, although it is pure fiction. The acting is great all around, but Macy steals the show as the complex, pathetic Lundegaard, a spineless, wimpy guy who married the overbearing, egotistical boss's ditzy, innocent daughter. We never really find out why Jerry needs the money, although schemes involving a parking lot investment, insurance fraud, and a phony kidnapping are all backfiring as the plot unfolds. Perhaps he simply needs the money from the kidnapping and/or the investment to cover the auto insurance fraud screw-up when they call his loan back. It is never really explained, and to good effect. The impetus for the capers is irrelevant.Macy's lies (very realistic for a used car salesman), private temper tantrums and loss of control, and lack of authority over his father in-law are perfectly played. The police interview scene in his office with Frances McDormand is pure genius, from the acting to the writing to the filming. This is movie making artistry.
Buscemi and Stormare are perfect as the not-quite-competent thieves hired for the project, with Stormare a cold-blooded and obvious sociopath and Buscemi an almost likeable lost soul.
This is a fairly realistic movie, other than the scene where Stormare fires a single perfect shot at over 100 feet into the back of a fleeing crime witness, who is running in deep snow and illuminated only by car headlights. It's nice to actually see a character in serious pain after getting shot, with lasting wounds, such as Buscemi's Carl Showalter suffers.
Not for the faint of heart, I recommend this movie 100%.
Want Fargo (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) (1996) Discount?
Fargo is one of the best films of the 1990's. It revolves around a bizzarre kidnapping scheme that unexpectedly leads to murder. Filled with cold settings, quirky characters, and excellent performances, Fargo is an excellent film.The central characters of the film are an overextended car salesman (William H. Macy), a pregnant police chief (Frances McDormand), and two kidnappers (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare). William H. Macy's character is not a good person, but Macy's excellent performance is able to make us feel his pain. Frances McDormand's character is well mannered, and strong willed, which is great to see in a female character. She definately deserved her oscar for her performance.
Steve Buscemi is great as always. His character is a criminal, but is somewhat likeable. Peter Stormare's character is underrated. His character is a psychopath who hardly ever says anything. His actions show his aggresiveness without even needing to say anything. I would rank his character as one of the best psychopaths, up there with Frank Booth from Blue Velvet and Tommy DeVito from Goodfellas.
The plot is pretty simple, but you still need to pay attention in order to understand it. Part of what I really liked about this movie is how the plot is simple, but the Coen Brothers managed to create a story of kidnapping gone wrong and murder without having an overly complex plot.
The score is very affective. It has a celtic feel to it and expresses the mood of the midwest perfectly.
The way the film is shot resembles Stanley Kubrick's style, as every shot is like a perfectly drawn picture.
I recommend Fargo at all costs. It has a wintry feeling that stays with you hours after you've seen it.
Save 40% Off
No comments:
Post a Comment