Review of Fargo (1996) by Berc — 10 Jul 2016

The artistic medium of film is very subjective. Every audience member has a different set of criteria they use to measure their viewing experience. Not everyone shares the same set of criteria. If we did, what a bland and uninspired world this would be.

What I Personally Liked About "Fargo":

This is really William H. Macy's show. His twitchy, stuttering, overly stressed portrayal of Jerry Lundegaard is spot-on cinematic gold. He'll probably be remembered throughout his career for this one role and rightly so. The movie probably would have fallen apart without such an intricately formed performance standing in the spotlight. That's not to take anything away from Frances McDormand's portrayal of Police Chief Marge Gunderson. She was obviously born to play her role as well. From her soft vocal inflections to her inquisitive expressions, she is a great opposite number for Macy's uncomfortable criminality. Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare should also be noted as providing a wonderful balance between malicious intent and comic relief that fits well with the world the Coen Brothers have crafted so expertly. In addition, I really love the whiteness of it all. Seriously. I have always been a big fan of winter, both on screen and in real life, and there is no better depiction I can think of than "Fargo" for bringing stark, snow-covered American landscapes to life. Roger Deakins is one of my favorite cinematographers and it should be easy for anyone to understand why after watching his work here. Carter Burwell also did his best to score the film with dark noir tones and intimate underpinnings. Finally, we arrive at the unabashed stereotyping of Midwestern dialects. Political correctness be damned. This merely adds to the humor of the production.

What I Personally Disliked About "Fargo":

There are a few minor quibbles regarding the pacing of the latter half of the film. However, they are so minor they're not really worth noting in this review. The one major drawback is Chief Gunderson's meeting with the Mike Yanagita character. Granted, this sequence helps Gunderson make connections later in the movie but it still throws off the rhythm of the picture. Surely, with their vast knowledge of wordplay and filmic invention, Joel and Ethan could have come up with something that suited the flick a little better than this.

My Overall Impression of "Fargo":

Yanagita aside, the Coen Brothers hit their stride with this film. It was witty, it was biting, it was edgy, and it was refreshing. It was a true step outside the box of contemporaneous cinematic convention and it is still every ounce as entertaining now as when it was first released two decades ago.