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Fargo

1996 1h 38m
Crime Drama Thriller
MOVIEVIBE Rating
7.9/10
9,357 reviews
Your Rating
Fargo

Jerry, a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt... but he's got a plan. He's going to hire two thugs to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. It's going to be a snap and nobody's going to get hurt... until people start dying. Enter Police Chief Marge, a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing - and extremely pregnant - investigator who'll stop at nothing to get her man. And if you think her small-time investigative skills will give the crooks a run for their ransom... you betcha!

"A lot can happen in the middle of nowhere."

Top Billed Cast

Frances McDormand
Frances McDormand
Marge Gunderson
William H. Macy
William H. Macy
Jerry Lundegaard
Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi
Carl Showalter
Peter Stormare
Peter Stormare
Gaear Grimsrud
Harve Presnell
Harve Presnell
Wade Gustafson
John Carroll Lynch
John Carroll Lynch
Norm Gunderson
Kristin Rudrüd
Kristin Rudrüd
Jean Lundegaard
Bruce Bohne
Bruce Bohne
Lou

Detailed Critic & Audience Reviews

K Kamurai Verified TMDB Critic
2020-10-18

Great watch, could watch again, and can recommend.

It is very sad that this happened to people, but the way the story is told is so good that I felt like that sadness melted away fairly quickly.

This movie holds up after 25 years, and it is dated, but with cellphones the story would change dramatically, and that would be a good alternative history subject for a different movie.

A great cast, excellent deliveries, an amazing story, and the cinematography is a favorite on this one. The setting of a snowy Minnesota really allows for some great isolation scenes and highlights the "coldne...

R r96sk Verified TMDB Critic
2022-03-23

I didn't enjoy is as much as I thought I would, but <em>'Fargo'</em> is still very good and something I'd obviously recommend.

I like the cast here, even if it is a bit of a Frances McDormand carryjob to be honest - she is terrific all the way through, absolutely nailing the role. Steve Buscemi is the star away from McDormand, while I've seen a few glimpses of William H. Macy elsewhere but this is his best showing that I've watched thus far. Peter Stormare is good too.

It's an entertaining story, that's for certain! Around 98 minutes was a wise run time call, also. I didn't get that extr...

F Filipe Manuel Neto Verified TMDB Critic
2022-09-08

**An excellent film, although the comedy is so watered down and so sarcastic that it's not funny to most people.**

When I saw this movie for the first time, a few years ago, I didn't understand it, and it annoyed me a lot. However, I've always heard good things about it, and after seeing several Cohen films that I liked, I realized the film's potential and decided to rewatch it. I did it at a good time: the film is better than I thought, and I just didn't know how to evaluate it as it deserved.

The film begins with a note indicating that it is based on real events. It's a joke, actually,...

C CinemaSerf Verified TMDB Critic
2023-08-27

Saw this again recently for it's anniversary, or 4k conversion, - who cares what the reason was, it was just great to see it up on the bg screen again. In my view, it's easily the best of efforts from both the Coen brothers and from the formidable Frances McDormand. Here, she is a pregnant local cop who must deal with a sudden spate of crimes in her magnificently named town "Brainerd". William H. Macy ("Jerry") and the usually under-rated Steve Buscemi ("Carl") add loads to value to this drama that offers an almost perfect mix of sharp and wittily written dialogue, some clever and poignant per...