Fargo (Special Edition)

Complain if you will about the accents and the happy-chirpy residents of Fargo and Brainerd, but then put that aside and enjoy the rest of the story.
This is one of the Coen Brothers' better efforts, with a wonderful cast headed by William H. Macy and Frances McDormand. Peter Stormare is frightening as one of the kidnappers, and the always-watchable Steve Buscemi rounds it out.
The storyline is engaging and not nearly as convoluted as the one in The Big Lebowski. It's also impressive that they managed to shoot with so much snow and wind going on. The only film of theirs that may be better than this one is No Country for Old Men.... Or possibly O Brother, where Art Thou? --but I have not seen that one in a while, so more comparisons will have to wait until I re-view it.

A story about dim-witted criminals and the cop pursuing them through Minnesota in the dead of winter. That's the gist of the entire story. It was only "OK" in my book. Not a movie I will watch weekly, but good enough to watch again, someday.

my title says it all - I'm about halfway through watching this movie, and I'm totally disgusted with the over-the-top MN accents. Those who don't live here probably think this is the way all of us talk. Not!!! And, oh yeah, just because we live in MN doesn't automatically make us dumb. Truly overkill on the stereotyping.

A story about a bungled kidnapping that leads to multiple violent deaths and leaves a teenaged boy orphaned seems like an unlikely recipient of adjectives like 'funny', 'wry', 'humane' and 'oddly beautiful'. But that's the impression that this beautifully scenic movie leaves.
So perhaps the best review is to say that Fargo is an upsetter of categories-a film that uses the awful aspects of American life to point out the beautiful ones.
In spite of the resolutely depraved nature of most of the characters, we end up loving the fundamental earthy innocence of Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson, the pregnant chief of police in a town that's noted mostly for its statue of Paul Bunyan and the presence of the inevitable Blue Ox Inn. The result is a 'feel good' movie that's about deceit and violence. Go figure.
Not to be missed is the awesome scope of the land of the Northern Plains. You have to watch this in the original format to appreciate how the broad horizontality of the land exposes the weird perversity of human nature. Maybe that's what the Coen brothers had in mind.

Lynn Hoffman, author of bang BANG: A Novel and New Short Course in Wine,The

This is one of my favourite dramas. I love all the acting in the film. Steve Buscemi is fantastic, this is a perfect role for him. This is one of those rare films where the acting, story and filming are brilliant, making it a classic movie.