Fargo is an iconic movie from 1996 that is a blend of drama and comedy. The plot is fairly simple. A rather pathetic used car salesman in Minneapolis named Jerry Lundegaard (played by the great William H. Macy, who was probably at the height of his fame due to his recurring role on ER) hires a couple of hitmen out of Fargo North Dakota named Showalter (played by Steve Buscemi) and Grimsrud (played by Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife Jean (played by Kristin Rudrud) in order to get ransom money from his wealthy father-in-law that he will split with the kidnappers. Of course, things go pear-shaped as they are transporting Jean from Minneapolis to a cabin in Moose Lake. The focus of the investigation by Marge Gunderson, an officer in the Brainerd police department, shifts to Jerry who acts more and more squirrely and guilty as the case unfolds.
For those who get the restored Blu-Ray, the movie looks and sounds very good in HD. I would not say that it got as good a restoration as some of the older movies that are being released on Blu-Ray (and especially on 4k now) are getting, but it is improved over the original DVD release. The extras are all carried over from the Blu-Ray release. They include a commentary track on the movie by the cinematographer, a 27-minute making-of documentary, a trivia track, an article about the movie, tv spots, a photo gallery, and the trailer.
The movie gained notoriety for the over-the-top accents used to depict how people in MN and ND talk. While you can definitely hear some of that accent in people, especially people in their 80s and up, it is definitely not as pronounced as they make it seem. But, for those of us who live in this region (who do not get offended by the parody), it makes it even funnier. The story is not really true, despite the opening title card, and while the cities mentioned in the movie are real, the Cohen brothers clearly did not consult a map when coming up with the cities to set the movie in as Brainerd is about 80 miles on the opposite side of MN from Moose Lake and nobody going from Minneapolis to Moose Lake would go anywhere near Brainerd. That said, it is very well acted with Macy and McDormand being the standouts, but really all of the actors doing a great job. Certainly, the Cohen brother's movies never appeal to everyone, but I think this is definitely one of their best. It is a very dark dramedy and can be bloody in parts. But, if you are in the mood for a somewhat offbeat movie (and are one of the handful reading this who has not seen the movie yet) it is definitely worth checking out.
For those who get the restored Blu-Ray, the movie looks and sounds very good in HD. I would not say that it got as good a restoration as some of the older movies that are being released on Blu-Ray (and especially on 4k now) are getting, but it is improved over the original DVD release. The extras are all carried over from the Blu-Ray release. They include a commentary track on the movie by the cinematographer, a 27-minute making-of documentary, a trivia track, an article about the movie, tv spots, a photo gallery, and the trailer.
The movie gained notoriety for the over-the-top accents used to depict how people in MN and ND talk. While you can definitely hear some of that accent in people, especially people in their 80s and up, it is definitely not as pronounced as they make it seem. But, for those of us who live in this region (who do not get offended by the parody), it makes it even funnier. The story is not really true, despite the opening title card, and while the cities mentioned in the movie are real, the Cohen brothers clearly did not consult a map when coming up with the cities to set the movie in as Brainerd is about 80 miles on the opposite side of MN from Moose Lake and nobody going from Minneapolis to Moose Lake would go anywhere near Brainerd. That said, it is very well acted with Macy and McDormand being the standouts, but really all of the actors doing a great job. Certainly, the Cohen brother's movies never appeal to everyone, but I think this is definitely one of their best. It is a very dark dramedy and can be bloody in parts. But, if you are in the mood for a somewhat offbeat movie (and are one of the handful reading this who has not seen the movie yet) it is definitely worth checking out.
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