One of my favorite Coen Brothers efforts. Darkly funny as are many of their films. A lot of the humor is too subtle for many. I did notice the DVD version has some extended scenes that raise the level of violence a bit compared to the theater version. Introduced me to the talent of William H. Macy.

Alright, the Norwegian accents are way over the top, but this is still destined for cult status.

Frances McDormand was fabulous in this movie. "I suppose that's your partner in the wood chipper."

Hilarious, nasty, and utterly brilliant. One of the best films of the decade.

Slow, but it was meant to be that way.

this is a very different movie. Guess what some would call odd or quirky, I was surprised to find i actually liked this movie. Frances McDormand is great as the pregnant sherriff trying to kind out what happened in some murders in her area. William H. Macy is really good as the swindling husband car dealer who made arrangements to have his wife kidnapped for the ransom and got more than what he bargained for. He hires two slimey people to kidnap her and they end up murdering people. This is a strange movie so a lot of people may not like it.but it is well acted, and at least not precictable.

Wow. People actually liked this movie? Amazing!

I loved it. It had some great moments. hilarious and scary as hell.

William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi are my favorite things about this film.

i thought it was boring and dull. stopped watching halfway through

Released in 1996 and directed by Joel Coen, Fargo is an eccentric, black comedy detective film set primarily in Minnesota. For the uninitiated, the plot involves dishonest car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) who must find money quick to bail him out of an insurance scam gone bad. His plan is to hire two thugs (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife so he can get the ransom from his rich father-in-law. Of course the plan goes bad resulting in several murders which brings the local (and pregnant) Sheriff Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) on the case. While hacking through the clues and schemes, Gunderson must deal with the weather, the odd local citizens, and food cravings. In many ways, this film is like a full-feature episode of television's Northern Exposure on steroids given the eccentric characters, climate and screenplay; however, what makes the movie is the performances of Macy, McDormand and especially Buscemi. The latter's portrayal of swarthy kidnapper Carl Showalter is in stark contrast to the slower paced Nordic characters and scenery. In many ways, Showalter is the hare to Sheriff Gunderson's turtle which adds a feeling of tension and inevitability to the story while Macy's Lundegaard spins his wheels in proverbial quicksand only to get deeper into the quagmire he created for himself. The bottom line is that Fargo is not for everyone and is not a typical Coen brothers film; however, for those who like cerebral black comedy, this movie is a must see.

the coen brothers at their best

I really enjoyed this movie. It was interesting from beginning to end and it totally kept my attention. It was perfectly wierd in all the right places, and I LOVED the accents. I always knew North Dakota and Minnesota were full of interesting people, it is about time Hollywood let the whole world know it as well. A good movie worth watching...I highly recommend it...

Great acting. Haunting story and the comedy made it more so. William H. Macy was great! The Coen brothers got me. I believed for the longest time that this was a somewhat true story. But now I hear it wasn't. It's a new low to introduce a film as a true story and then have that be just a joke.

The characters/actors are what make this movie great. It's a bit dark and violent, so I would not recommended to everyone. Jerry Lundegaard has some financial problems so he hires some people to kidnap his wife and they would demand a ransom from her rich father. Things take a turn for the worse when they end up killing Jerry's wife and the pregnant police chief is hot on the trail. William H Macy is excellent as Lundegaard. Francis McDormand is funny and refreshing as the police chief. Steve Buscemi is superb as the violent psychopath. The movie is fresh, funny, violent, and thrilling. Quite possiblly The Coen Brothers best film.

Great movie -- I'm usually lukewarm about the Coen brothers, but this movie really touched me. My favorite part was that the cop's husband turned out to be designing stamps. Seemed at once humbe and noble.

Was NOT based on a true story, contrary to what the movie claims. I don't care. I was surprised that Austin Powers was ranked higher than this one, and then more surprised that this wasn't even ranked...ah, they don't call this comedy?? I have a theory...if you're not from the upper midwest, you probably can't relate enough to the movie to really enjoy it. My favorite scene? The interrogation of the driveway sweeper! Gotta love the parkas!

I think Fargo is an excellent movie because it's not what you expect. I don't even know what I thought it was going to be about, but when I heard about a wood chipper, I had to see it. The performances were excellent, right down to the accents (and yes, people do talk like that in N.D/MN, it wasn't an exaggeration, I was born in Fargo). I think this was William H. Macy's best performance (portraying Jerry Lundergard). I love it when the finance company keeps hounding him about the VIN numbers for the vehicles, truly helarious. I questioned why the movie was called Fargo. After all, the only scene that took place in Fargo was the first five minutes of the movie, where the deal was set. The majority of the movie took place in Brainard MN. Then I finally got it. Would you rather see a movie called "Fargo" or "Brainard"? Makes sense, huh?

Terrific movie and different from everything else in its genre. I loved every minute

very funny, very smart. I love the ironic satire and unpredictable situations. steve bushemi is awsome(one of my favorite actors) as well as the rest of the cast. very well directed. a must see!

Amazingly original (I don't care if it was based on a true story). By far the Coen's best film. Acting turns by Steve Buscemi, Frances McDormand, and Bill Macy all sublime. Superb writing and direction by the Coens. What other movie packs as much suspense, social satire, thrills, and hilarity into such a tight package? I can't think of one.

The acting was ok. The accents were very annoying. The swearing was unnecesary. And the woodchipper part was just plain old nasty. Save yourself the time and money and don't watch this film

I dont know why, but i couldnt stop laughing at this coen brothers classic.It says its a true story,but how things work out through the movie looks made up.I dont know? I really dont know why this movie didnt get more academy awards then it did. Its perfect acting(besides the kind of bad accents),i guess thats what mad it so funny. I guess im an evil person for laughing at death, but the movie makes me. See this movie. If you dont like it,at least you can say you say it.

One of the worst flicks ever made!! I suppose on some low, low, low level this might have been amusing to a few, but to me it blew. Hard! Watching a movie where half of the time nothing happens and the other half of the time... nothing happens!! The plot was nowhere to be found, the acting so poor that you could throw up (except for Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) and an unseemingly desire to believe that all Scandinavians start and end their sentences with "ja, ja, ja" or "nej, nej, nej". Let me tell you, I live in Sweden and watching someone mispronounce our language for over an hour is not my idea of a good time.

This movie is terrific! I love the dark humor and nuances. The characters are unique, quirky and so memorable. Frances McDormand is fantastic as the pregant sheriff, one of the most unique film characterizations in recent years. This movie turned me on to the Coen brothers, and while I've enjoyed most of their other films, this is their supreme achievement.

Why is it that the critics pick the stupid movies and say how wonderful they are? What were they thinking when they said this one was a must see?

A decent movie that had its moments is not, IMHO, top 100 material. It has cute accents, a good main plot, and interesting characters. While it is neat to see how badly insurance fraud can go, there are too much unrelated material to make this a great movie. I just don't get that love interest in the big city hotel restaurant. What does fishing bait have to do with anything? Then again, I've only seen it once; perhaps it will grow on me.

The Coen brothers did it again. Another great movie. The same sort of twisted humor is involved in this as in previous movies, yet it is much different. This movie will keep you locked in the whole time.

Fargo was a very original movie. I liked it so much because of its charismatic character (especially the lady Sheriff) and the weird turn of events.

This movie is a black comedy that even though it was disturbing at some points, Steve Buscemi does and outstanding job. The accents in the movie was hilarious and the dialogue was subtle, yet comedic at the same time. The plot was brilliant and definitely amusing.

Yuck!!!! I hated this movie!! It wasn't funny at all. It was horrible. This movie is extremely over-rated. Not appealing at all.

This movie was horrible! No purpose whatsoever, gruesome scenes, and just horrible situations. I can't believe people actually think of such things. Walked away from the movie with nothing and don't care ever recall it again.

It had Canadian actors and script, which no one likes. The plot was terrible, yet predictable.

Fun to watch. Black comedy with great acting. It was kind of weird the way they talked. The movie was based on a true story.

Fargo is the funniest murder movie ever. I saw it in the theaters three times and then bought it right when it came out. "Is that your partner in the woodchipper there?" Frances McDormand was hilarious.

The Coen brothers produced and directed this black comedy. Twists in the movie keep you on your toes. The odd story of a kidnapping in North Dakota is shocking at times, but is always humorous and entertaining.

What the heck were the critics thinking? Instead of finding this movie interesting, I found it to be dismal and un-entertaining. The only saving grace was Steve Buscemi's performance and grisly death, and the sheer joy of laughing at William Macy's character and sneering at those who praised the movie.

The Cohen brothers have triumphed again! McDermand and Buscemi are wonderful. I probably would have catagorized this with the comedies.

Wacky, but I loved Frances McDormand....she did a great job.

Though not for everyone, Fargo is the type of movie that gets better each time you watch it. The first time you see it you get too caught up in the accents and weird vernacular used by the characters. By the second and third time, you notice the humor and how well written it is. The entire cast is great, particularly Frances McDormand and William Macy. However, there really isn't much of a need for you to rent it. It seems like it is on almost monthly on TNT and since there isn't much profanity or nudity, you won't miss much.

Another great Coen brothers movie. I love the Minnesota accents. It is an original story. In the beginning it claims to be based on a true story. I think 'based' might be a loose term.

awful

Great movie -- I'm usually lukewarm about the Coen brothers, but this movie really touched me. My favorite part was that the cop's husband turned out to be designing stamps. Seemed at once humbe and noble.

Artistic, stylish, sexy - captivating view of the human race - the Cohens did again!!!

It was an entertaining movie, but not deserving of the cult following it has received. The acting was great and its depictions of Dokotans dead on the money, but if I hear another person imitating "Fargo-speak" I'll shoot 'em.

This is my all-time favorite movie.