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Fargo

  • 19961996
  • RR
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
665K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
808
34
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Fargo (1996)
Trailer for Fargo Only Be version
Play trailer0:32
12 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Crime
  • Thriller
Minnesota car salesman 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.Minnesota car salesman 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.Minnesota car salesman 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.
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
665K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
808
34
  • Directors
    • Joel Coen
    • Ethan Coen(uncredited)
  • Writers
    • Ethan Coen
    • Joel Coen
  • Stars
    • William H. Macy
    • Frances McDormand
    • Steve Buscemi
Top credits
  • Directors
    • Joel Coen
    • Ethan Coen(uncredited)
  • Writers
    • Ethan Coen
    • Joel Coen
  • Stars
    • William H. Macy
    • Frances McDormand
    • Steve Buscemi
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1KUser reviews
    • 232Critic reviews
    • 85Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #170
    • Won 2 Oscars
      • 83 wins & 58 nominations total

    Videos12

    Fargo
    Trailer 0:32
    Fargo
    Fargo
    Trailer 0:32
    Fargo
    Fargo
    Trailer 0:17
    Fargo
    Fargo
    Trailer 0:17
    Fargo
    Fargo
    Trailer 2:08
    Fargo
    Fargo
    Trailer 0:32
    Fargo
    Fargo
    Trailer 0:30
    Fargo
    'Fargo' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:34
    'Fargo' | Anniversary Mashup
    Where 'Star Trek 4' Should Boldly Go
    Clip 4:16
    Where 'Star Trek 4' Should Boldly Go
    'Buster Scruggs': The Coen Bros.' Misunderstood, Misanthropic Masterwork
    Clip 3:23
    'Buster Scruggs': The Coen Bros.' Misunderstood, Misanthropic Masterwork
    A Guide to the Films of the Coen Brothers
    Clip 1:56
    A Guide to the Films of the Coen Brothers
    The Rise of Oscar Winner Frances McDormand
    Clip 3:57
    The Rise of Oscar Winner Frances McDormand

    Photos135

    Frances McDormand and James Gaulke in Fargo (1996)
    Steve Buscemi in Fargo (1996)
    Steve Buscemi and Steve Reevis in Fargo (1996)
    Frances McDormand in Fargo (1996)
    Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, and Kristin Rudrüd in Fargo (1996)
    Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare in Fargo (1996)
    Frances McDormand and James Gaulke in Fargo (1996)
    William H. Macy in Fargo (1996)
    William H. Macy in Fargo (1996)
    William H. Macy in Fargo (1996)
    Frances McDormand in Fargo (1996)
    William H. Macy and Harve Presnell in Fargo (1996)

    Top cast

    Edit
    William H. Macy
    William H. Macy
    • Jerry Lundegaardas Jerry Lundegaard
    Frances McDormand
    Frances McDormand
    • Marge Gundersonas Marge Gunderson
    Steve Buscemi
    Steve Buscemi
    • Carl Showalteras Carl Showalter
    Peter Stormare
    Peter Stormare
    • Gaear Grimsrudas Gaear Grimsrud
    Kristin Rudrüd
    Kristin Rudrüd
    • Jean Lundegaardas Jean Lundegaard
    Harve Presnell
    Harve Presnell
    • Wade Gustafsonas Wade Gustafson
    Tony Denman
    Tony Denman
    • Scotty Lundegaardas Scotty Lundegaard
    Gary Houston
    Gary Houston
    • Irate Customeras Irate Customer
    Sally Wingert
    • Irate Customer's Wifeas Irate Customer's Wife
    Kurt Schweickhardt
    • Car Salesmanas Car Salesman
    Larissa Kokernot
    • Hooker #1as Hooker #1
    Melissa Peterman
    Melissa Peterman
    • Hooker #2as Hooker #2
    Steve Reevis
    Steve Reevis
    • Shep Proudfootas Shep Proudfoot
    • (as Steven Reevis)
    Warren Keith
    Warren Keith
    • Reilly Diefenbachas Reilly Diefenbach
    • (voice)
    Steve Edelman
    • Morning Show Hostas Morning Show Host
    Sharon Anderson
    • Morning Show Hostessas Morning Show Hostess
    Larry Brandenburg
    Larry Brandenburg
    • Stan Grossmanas Stan Grossman
    James Gaulke
    James Gaulke
    • State Trooperas State Trooper
    • Directors
      • Joel Coen
      • Ethan Coen(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • Ethan Coen
      • Joel Coen
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The snow plow that drives past the motel at the end of the film was not part of the script. Signs in the area warned motorists not to drive through due to filming, but a state employee ignored them.
    • Goofs
      Jean Lundegaard dials 911 from a phone in the upstairs bathroom. A few seconds later, the phone is disconnected. While modern 911 systems could automatically identify the address, that was not the case in 1987. The dispatcher might not have been able to take any further action.
    • Quotes

      Marge Gunderson: [to Gaear] So, that was Mrs. Lundegaard on the floor in there. And I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper. And those three people in Brainerd. And for what? For a little bit of money? There's more to life than a little money, you know. Don'tcha know that? And here ya are, and it's a beautiful day. Well. I just don't understand it.

    • Crazy credits
      A symbol similar to the Artist Formerly Known as Prince is in the credits as "victim in field", but it is not him, it is J. Todd Anderson, the storyboard artist.
    • Alternate versions
      Polygram Filmed Entertainment sold most of its film library to MGM in 1999. As a result, when the video and DVD were re-issued by MGM video, the MGM lion logo was added to the beginning of the film.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Up Close and Personal/Muppet Treasure Island/Fargo/Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam/The Young Poisoner's Handbook (1996)
    • Soundtracks
      Do You Know the Way to San Jose
      Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David

      Published by Blue Seas Music, Inc. and JAC Music Co., Inc.

      Recording courtesy Alshire International

      Muzak heard playing while Marge and Norm Gunderson are at an all-you-can-eat buffet

    User reviews1K

    Review
    Top review
    You're darned tootin'!
    "What'd this guy look like anyway?" "Oh, he was a little guy, kinda funny lookin'." "Uh-huh. In what way?" "Just a general way." In that interplay between a Brainerd, MN., police officer and a witness discussing a criminal investigation, you have one of your principal pieces of dialogue from what is considered by many to be Joel and Ethan Coen's finest film. Of course you can draw comparisons to others they've made, such as Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, even Barton Fink and The Big Lebowski. But Fargo illustrates the Coen Brothers' takes on plot, art and drama more succinctly and emotionally than any of those others. Here you have a set of memorable, if not always likable, characters in a plot that goes from clunky to chaotic in the most unspoiled manner, from Jerry Lundegaard's stilted conversation with Gaear and Carl in a bar in Fargo at the beginning of the movie - the only occasion in which the movie specifically shows you Fargo, N.D. - to Marge Gunderson's confrontation with Gaear and the wood-chipper. Frances McDormand deservedly won an Oscar for playing a well-balanced, intelligent, pregnant police officer placing her own straightforward methodology on to an investigation of bizarre goings-on. And William H. Macy gives a true one-two punch playing a frenetically-charged, fearful and, in the end, inept used car salesman trying in the most remarkable manner to make money. The two best scenes in the movie are the two occasions in which Marge questions Jerry about the Brainerd murders and a car from his lot being involved -- I couldn't imagine an actress doing a better job of seriously but comically exclaiming, "He's fleeing the interview!" Notable among the actors as well are Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare playing Carl and Gaear, the two hit men hired by Jerry to help him con his father-in-law out of money. There's comic brilliance watching Stormare silently grimace at Buscemi's violent but gregarious behavior, and Buscemi shines being able to play the most out-of-control of all the characters in the movie. Kristin Rudrüd also stands out playing Jean Lundegaard, Jerry's haplessly kidnapped wife. If you can appreciate an intelligent look at not-always-so-intelligent life on this planet, you'll enjoy the little more than the hour and a half this movie has to show you.
    helpful•296
    61
    • aharmon
    • Apr 2, 2001

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    [object Object]
    Photos

    FAQ11

    • What was Carl Showalter doing in the car park (the one he didn't want to park in) with the white car, he was removing the snow from the number plate... why?
    • Is "Fargo" based on a true story?
    • Did a Japanese woman die because she believed the movie was true?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 5, 1996 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Thị Trấn Fargo
    • Filming locations
      • Grafton, North Dakota, USA
    • Production companies
      • PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
      • Working Title Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $7,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $24,611,975
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $730,265
      • Mar 10, 1996
    • Gross worldwide
      • $60,611,975
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 38 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby SR
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

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