Fargo (1996)

Director:

Joel Coen

Writers (WGA):

Joel Coen (written by) &
Ethan Coen (written by)

Release Date:

8 March 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

A homespun murder story.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Ransom | Blood | Murder | Pregnant | Kidnapping

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 52 wins & 30 nominations

Cast

William H. Macy	...	Jerome '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

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, language and sexuality.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | New Zealand:R18 | USA:R (certificate #34206) | Denmark:15 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KT | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 (bw) | Hong Kong:III | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Bathgate, North Dakota, USA

Company:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Trivia:

The reference to "Midwest Federal... talk to ol' Bill Diehl" is a nod to film critic Bill Diehl, who wrote for the St. Paul Pioneer Press-Dispatch and interviewed the Coen Brothers shortly after the release of Blood Simple. (1984).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Norm Gunderson indicates the existence of a 29 cent stamp in 1987, four years before they were introduced.

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Best of Film Noir (1999) (V)

Soundtrack:

Do You Know the Way to San José

A movie you can't stop watching

An instant classic. I must admit what attracted me at first was the wood chipper incident I had heard about but by the time the movie gets there, I was in a totally in a different universe. While the movie does not have anything to keep you glued to the screen (a wicked script, lots of action) you can't prevent yourself from wanting to see what happens next. This is due to the wonderfully portrayed characters. Steve Buscemi's performance as Carl Showalter is fabulous. I love when he is confronted by Shep Proudfoot and tells him to "hey man, smoke a f***in peace-pipe", or any of his conversations with Jerry Lundegard are priceless - "I'm not going to debate you Jerry, I'm not going to DEBATE". My recent favorite is when he storms out of the hideout and says "and if you see Shep Proudfoot, tell him I'm gonna nail his f***kin ass". The Jerry Lundegard character is such a beautiful loser, I don't know where to begin. I especially love his reappearing temper tantrums(slamming the phone book in his office, scraping the ice off the windshield, jumping up and down after his father in law leaves the house with the million dollars) and practicing the phone call to his father in law where he tells him his wife has been kidnapped - too funny. Marge Gunderson is the glue that holds it all together with a performance by Frances Mcdormand well deserved of an Oscar. I thought they might have overdid it a tiny bit with the scene with Marge and the two hookers (too many "Ya's" in it) but otherwise a wonderful, refreshing character in the middle of a bunch of losers. Her character is so honest and persistent, it makes me wonder why I cant find a woman like that - and then I realize, I'm watching a movie and a brilliant one at that.