Fargo (1996)

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

Directors:

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (uncredited)

Writers:

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Stars:

William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi

Top Rated Movies #175 | Won 2 Oscars. Another 81 wins & 57 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William H. Macy	...	Jerry Lundegaard
Steve Buscemi	...	Carl Showalter
Peter Stormare	...	Gaear Grimsrud
Kristin Rudrüd	...	Jean Lundegaard
Harve Presnell	...	Wade Gustafson
Tony Denman	...	Scotty Lundegaard
Gary Houston	...	Irate Customer
Sally Wingert	...	Irate Customer's Wife
Kurt Schweickhardt	...	Car Salesman
Larissa Kokernot	...	Hooker #1
Melissa Peterman	...	Hooker #2
Steve Reevis	...	Shep Proudfoot (as Steven Reevis)
Warren Keith	...	Reilly Diefenbach (voice)
Steve Edelman	...	Morning Show Host
Sharon Anderson	...	Morning Show Hostess

Storyline

Jerry works in his father-in-law's car dealership and has gotten himself in financial problems. He tries various schemes to come up with money needed for a reason that is never really explained. It has to be assumed that his huge embezzlement of money from the dealership is about to be discovered by father-in-law. When all else falls through, plans he set in motion earlier for two men to kidnap his wife for ransom to be paid by her wealthy father (who doesn't seem to have the time of day for son-in-law). From the moment of the kidnapping, things go wrong and what was supposed to be a non-violent affair turns bloody with more blood added by the minute. Jerry is upset at the bloodshed, which turns loose a pregnant sheriff from Brainerd, MN who is tenacious in attempting to solve the three murders in her jurisdiction.

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Plot Keywords:

black comedy | botched crime | neo noir | americana | tall tale | 

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Taglines:

An ordinary place, an extraordinary thriller

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, language and sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Fargo is an actual town in North Dakota.

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Goofs

While driving, the shots of Gaear show him in a cloud of cigarette smoke. When the shots switch to Carl, there's no smoke at all.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jerry Lundegaard: I'm, uh, Jerry Lundegaard.
Carl Showalter: You're Jerry Lundegaard?
Jerry Lundegaard: Ya. Shep Proudfoot said...
Carl Showalter: Shep said you'd be here at 7:30. What gives, man?
Jerry Lundegaard: Shep said 8:30.
Carl Showalter: We've been sitting here an hour. He's
[motioning to Gaer]
Carl Showalter: peed three times already.
Jerry Lundegaard: I'm sure sorry. Shep told me 8:30. It was a mix-up, I guess.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits list production companies, main cast, and the title. The crew is not listed until the ending credits, starting with a director credit.

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Alternate Versions

In the version showed in Dutch theaters the scene where the cop gets shot in the head differs. The scene is not close-up and in it a part from the trooper's skull flies off.

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Connections

Featured in And the Oscar Goes To... (2014)

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Soundtracks

Sometimes in Winter
Written by Steven Katz
Used by permission of EMI Blackwood Music Inc.

User Reviews

When ordinary people meets the criminal world.

This slow-paced movie is really surprising in the way that it put an effort to show how things can go wrong when stupid, unexperienced people are tumbling in crime world. I loved how Cohen brothers unraveled a very well written plot that lead to an unsurprising end but close to how it ends in real life when these misdeeds are committed. One of the other feeling that transmit this movie is that everything that is happening looks so normal that it creates a strange atmosphere, burlesque, almost stupid, that makes the movie really funny to watch. So if you add all those things together plus a really good casting and filmmaking you've got a must see movie !!

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 April 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fargo

Filming Locations:

Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, Chanhassen, Minnesota, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$730,265, 10 March 1996

Gross USA:

$24,611,975

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$60,611,975

Company Credits

Production Co:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Working Title Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1