Fargo

with William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare
Written and Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
(Gramercy Pictures)
by Mark Phinney and J. Lianna Ness

The Coen Brothers move and operate in a world they’ve claimed stake on. We, the audience, relate in some ways, but often we have difficulty grasping the idea behind a particular word, glance or smile. Their characters are even more elusive in their oddball eccentricity. They teach us that we should never underestimate the power of this.

Taking a tip from their flawless debut Blood Simple (1984), the Coens have regained their power and produced a tricky little criminal blueprint of small-town backlash. Set in Minnesota in 1987, a car salesman named Jerry (William H. Macy) is so desperate for money to pay off his debts, he hires two thugs (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife, hoping to collect the ransom from her rich father (Harve Presnell). The kidnappers are fuck-ups with short tempers. Their plans go awry when they shoot a state trooper and two innocent bystanders, drawing the attention of a local police chief (Frances McDormand). Initially unaware that the homicides are connected to the kidnapping, her investigation eventually leads to Jerry. Worth seeing for the cinematography alone, Fargo’s plot is both beautiful and brilliant. The Coen brothers have struck gold again.