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 #176 | Won 2 Oscars. Another 81 wins & 58 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

A lot can happen in the middle of nowhere.

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Certificate:

M/16

Did You Know?

Trivia

Peter Stormare had regretted turning down the Coen Brothers (Joel Coen & Ethan Coen) for a role in História de Gangsters (1990), and so was glad when they offered him a role in this film.

---

Goofs

At the motel in North Dakota where Jerry is hiding out, the knob on the outside door is not an exterior keyed door lock, but rather an interior type bathroom door knob that can be opened with a paper clip. The hotel employee fakes using a key to open it.

---

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.

---

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

Television edits of the film consistently replace the word "f*cking" with "froozing." Also, in the scene where Carl shoots Wade, the audio is inexplicably edited so that we don't hear Wade say, "Oh, jeez."

---

Connections

Spoofs Beavis and Butt-Head (1993)

---

Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

A masterpiece of Shakesperean proportions

I've always thought Fargo would make a great Shakesperean play; you could alter the modern elements and still have created a buzz 400 years ago in suburban England. Indeed, the plot is similar to Hamlet's, in that they both have characters we root for who create zany plans than end up spinning wildly out of control into bloodshed. Many people seem to like Fargo for its humorous qualities, its characterization of the Minnesotan culture and Frances McDormand- not me. I love Fargo for its brilliant writing, its tragic musical score, its tragic plot, William H Macy, Harve Presnell and Steve Buscemi, its ignorance of political correctness (how many movies can you remember when the only two minority characters were both revealed to be creeps).I want to draw attention to an overlooked reason why the film works so well - how well the music suits the visuals in this movie. Each murder scene is scored superbly, and other audio clues really add to the effect (for instance, notice how when the police officer asks Carl Showalter "What's this?" in reference to the abductee, a disquieting guitar sound is immediately played that has an instantaneous psychological effect on how you interpret the scene). I have seen this film over, well, an embarrassing number of times and have committed its screenplay, from start to finish, by memory. Fargo is the ultimate Coen Brothers movie, a brilliant tragedy, and restores my faith in Roger Ebert as he places this movie in as his fourth favorite movie of the '90s.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 September 1996 (Portugal)

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