Michelle Williams Movie:

				Salesrank: 218572
		Used Price: $9.50
		MPAA Rating: R (Restricted) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
Leave it to the wildly inventive Coen brothers (Joel directs, Ethan produces, they both write) to concoct a fiendishly clever kidnap caper that's simultaneously a comedy of errors, a Midwestern satire, a taut suspense thriller, and a violent tale of criminal misfortune. It all begins when a hapless car salesman (played to perfection by William H. Macy) ineptly orchestrates the kidnapping of his own wife. The plan goes horribly awry in the hands of bumbling bad guys Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare (one of them being described by a local girl as "kinda funny lookin'" and "not circumcised"), and the pregnant sheriff of Brainerd, Minnesota, (played exquisitely by Frances McDormand in an Oscar-winning role) is suddenly faced with a case of multiple murders. Her investigation is laced with offbeat observations about life in the rural hinterland of Minnesota and North Dakota, and Fargo embraces its local yokels with affectionate humor. At times shocking and hilarious, Fargo is utterly unique and distinctly American, bearing the unmistakable stamp of its inspired creators. --Jeff Shannon

Fargo [Region 2] Reviews:
Who's the oriental guy?
2008-10-03 - I agree with the positive reviews here 100%, but apparently this must be your type of movie for this to apply - some do not get it. I notice a sub-plot that is intriguing - seemingly completely unnecessary (I'm waiting to hear the interviews) - and would like opinions from others. There's a scene where the sheriff (McDormand) meets what seems like an old friend/acquaintance from school, an oriental-looking guy - sorry can't remember his name. She meets him at the Radison I believe for lunch. Its a totally weird encounter as he begins seeming normal and progresses to trying to put the make on this obviously pregnant woman, which she skillfully rebuffs, and then turns tragic. Later in the movie McDormand talks on the phone with another school chum who fills her in that nothing the oriental guy disclosed to her as highly personal tragic info - none of it was true. He was totally deranged mentally. Like I said, its a captivating subplot, but what the Hell is it about?

Dissapointing
2008-10-02 - I keep hearing such wonderful things about this film. How original and quirky it is; how funny it is, etc. However, those people failed to mention that there is also a lack of plot. We get just a glimpse of the plot, that was truly never really resolved and had no beginning. Not to say that there aren't plenty of films like that. But Fargo wasn't doing anything for me. There was nothing shocking, or gruesome, or innovative about this film. And those accents were overdone. From what I hear, people really do talk like that in those parts. But it FELT overdone in the film to the point of annoying.

I am giving this 3 stars because of the acting, accents aside. William H. Macy is a true genius of an actor, no matter what role he plays. Steve Buscemi is in a class of his own and Frances McDormand is always spot on. They really made the most of the lacking script. I won't go so far as to call this film boring, but it certainly wasn't riveting.

offbeat classic
2008-09-30 - There's plenty of info and deserved praise in the already-written reviews about the storyline, the great acting, atmospherics, dialogue, awards etc

Macy and McDormand rightfully take most of the focus, but look for the tiniest gem of a scene where Mr. Mohra, a quiet local shovelling snow, talks with a cop. It's the most understated of exchanges, practically a monologue, and it is just tight, polished and pitch perfect. It's a turning point in the movie, and two men are trading important info that changes everything, while barely looking at each other, before moving on to talk about the weather.

The take-home message for the scene, as well as the whole film is "if someone is quiet and kind, don't underestimate them."

Suspenseful and unsettling. I still felt uncomfortable 3 days after watching it. No wonder it got 2 Oscars in 1997.
2008-09-15 - It's suspenseful and unsettling. I still felt uncomfortable 3 days after watching this movie. The acting is entertaining and engaging. It kept my eyes glued to the screen from the beginning till the end. The plot is deceptively simple. It could have happened in real life too. It's about a man tried to kill his wife. Yet the directing and acting make it gripping.

No wonder it got 2 Oscars in 1997. One was given to the Coen brothers for best original screenplay. The other was given to Frances McDormand for best actress.

Other good suspense movies are U 571, The Usual Supsects and 28 days later.

Not as good as I expected
2008-09-11 - First off, let me say that I love movies and different/quirky films. I never caught this when it was originally released, but had heard much about it, so I finally watched a copy I recently purchased as a blind-buy.

While this one has its appeal for me, in the setting, the off-beat characters and the domino effect, of the plot itself, I must be honest in stating that I felt like I was watching a "B" movie-not a critically acclaimed one. Visually, you could feel the coldness and the monotony of this film, and the "every-day" characters worked for me. There are several scenes that are memorable such as the guy being shot in the face (just kinda funny), wood chopper scene, and the discussion with the guy shoveling the snow outside. Other than that, for me, it could have been a movie on USA. I love the actors in the film, and the script (well written to convey the overall confusion and "realness" of the characters), but it was not as ground breaking, as I thought it would be.