FARGO 9/10

[ghostworldfan]

Next to The Man Who Wasn't There, Fargo is the Coen brothers best film. The story isn't overly complicated, but it is still good. It is a fun film to watch. I love all Steve Buscemi films, but this is his best. Nobody plays weasel like him. lol. The scenery in the film is wonderful, the accents are great and the acting is top notch by all people in this film. William H. Macy is wonderful in this film. It is his best too.

[Philip Marlowe]

let me start this off by saying that Fargo is not one my favs of the Coen Brothers body of work (Filmography). People have always seemed to love this movie so much more than me. Now I'm not say it's bad but ... I don't consider it to be great either.

It felt like they were forcing some of the laughs and that the plot was just slowed down by too much characters development, Fargo didn't really start to pick up for me until 3/4 of the movie was over there were some great scene in those 3/4 but the pace was a problem for me.

Frances McDormand had me mixed up she got to me more than I want to be got to. Her character basically annoyed me way too much it felt so weird that while I like her acting and her character that she was playing she got on my nerves so much so that some scene just became funny with no real backing or substance behind them.

OK I don't want to be putting it down all to much cause I still think it's a good film, that I enjoyed in an all around way with everything said and done. Some scenes that were memerizing for me where; The kiddnapping which was funny but also at the same time Scary, Mencing and quite serious, The whole car thing when the cars go by and the family has that look on there face that's something I will always remember about Fargo.

The Ending like I said before was intresting and quick very quick that's what really got me into the movie but by than it was a bit to late in the game for my to be completely ingrossed and immersed by the film and it's characters.

My Favorite Coen Brothers films, if it matter to anybody are Miller's Crossing & The Hudsucker Proxy followed closely by Big Lebowski, The (1998) & Raising Arizona (1987).

I also must say that I haven't seen Man Who Wasn't There, The (2001), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) yet.

my rating for Fargo would be a good tuff C+

[This message has been edited by Philip Marlowe (edited 02-01-2002).]

[Kavan]

Fargo is a hard movie for me to review because frankly I thought it was two different films.

On one hand you have this very effective crime story of a man so desperate for money he allows his wife to be kidnapped. The drama involved in that story worked so well.

But the movie kept cutting away to do comedy scenes with the Marg character. Oh watch her vomit from morning sickness. Listen to her funny accent. See her run into an old classmate.

I felt the division between the stories rather than heighten the tension really dragged it down. Just as I'd get into the tension of the kidnapping plot there'd be a cutaway to the pregnant police chief.

I'm a big fan of McDormand but I'm clueless as to why she won the Oscar. Her part is deeply uncomplex just a very effective accent.

But subpar Coen is still pretty darn good and the William H. Macey performance is so effective it almost makes up for the other stuff.

6.5/10

[Fergus]

Philip and Kavan, I see where you're both coming from, both have different dislikes about it. Philip, you didn't like the pacing. Alright. But the rhythm, and pacing, and offbeat feel of the film, are the exact reasons why I liked it. Fargo has a feel to it that is very weird. The setup, the strange characters, the excessive use of blood and comedy. It seems to be a more balanced Grosse Pointe Blank. I can see why you thought the first two quarters were slow, and if you don't get into that stuff, there will be problems later on.

Kavan, when you said you saw two movies, I knew exactly how you felt, because that is partly what I pulled from it. It attributes of the offbeat part of it (I'm using the same words over and over because they are a fitting description of the film). The two stories, actually, three if you think about it, allows you too see the story from all angles. I got involved with these people, their plight, and I had a good time. Some scenes were a bit frightening to me. I will never forget the last scene in which we see Steve Buscemi, and what happens to him with the woodchipper afterwards, it basically turned my face pale and shocked me. As did other parts in the film. The kidnapping was funny and scary at the same time, like Philip mentioned, but it worked. The Coens had a right kind of balance between humor and the violence. It just worked.

I was also wondering to myself why McDormand won the Oscar too, because it was not an oscar-worthy part. But I'll tell ya, she did make me laugh... a lot. I also wanted to point out a little quirk that made me laugh every time they'd repeat it. When McDormand would be interviewing folks who had seen the two men that were involved in kidnapping the wife of Macy, they would always forget what Buscemi looked like, and they'd say, "I don't know, he was just real funny lookin'." This could've been a little inside joke by the Coens, but I laughed every time. This movie is just one of a kind, like other Coen films that I've seen. Including: Raising Arizona, The Hudsucker Proxy, and O Brother Where Art Thou? I still really like this movie, and it is one of my favorites. Offbeat, funny, serious, well-written, acted, whatever a person can say about a movie they enjoyed.

****1/2 out of five

[blackbear]

This movie was ok viewing but seemed not much more than a quality made for TV production. I know that sounds harsh but I have never understood the hype surrounding this movie. 6 out 10

[Benny]

What more can I say? Fargo is one of my favorite films OF ALL-TIME. Everything about this movie is perfect. Not to mention great acting, direction, music, cinematography, you get the picture. Definitely the best Coen Borthers film too. I could write a really long review, but we'll just leave it at this. 10/10

[Si Cole2001]

You got it in one 'ghostworldfan'. Fargo is a quintessential Coen brothers film. There's something about the Coen's quirky way of telling the story which luminates their talent. Steve Buscemi's role keeps cracking me up, William H Macy is the unadulterated king of supporting a cast and Frances McDormand plays one of the most bizzarely heartwarming characters in a long while. Everything from the Scandinavian accents to the playfully told kidnapping makes this a top 20 film in my book. 10/10