Yesterday marked the 30th anniversary of Fargo’s launch in UK cinemas, with the film having had its US launch in March of 1996. Still one of our favourite films, after realising yesterday we had to pay tribute to the Coen brother’s masterpiece.
When it launched, we were still in primary school! With its themes of existential violence and greed, it’s NOT suitable for kids. But we did watch it for the first time around 2001 (ish). Thus, let us celebrate its icy glory.
Fargo’s 30th: Deceit, Snow, and Minnesota Nice
Fargo is a film you could watch multiple times in a day and not grow bored of it. Its brilliance lies in some great writing, the believability of its premise, and some incredible acting.
Stealing the show are Frances McDormand and Steve Buscemi. The former plays Marge Gunderson, whose Minnesota Nice persona belies a highly intelligent intellect, which she demonstrates constantly as a police officer.
Then there’s Steve Buscemi’s bumbling, hapless idiot Carl Showalter. A petty criminal hired by William H. Macy’s desperate Jerry Lundegaard to kidnap Lundegaard’s wife. The goal for that is to get a massive ransom from his wife’s wealthy father.
Showalter and his partner in crime Gaear Grimsrud (Peter Stormare) make a hell of a mess of it. Just a WARNING here, too, this scene contains quite a lot of violence.
The fallout triggers Gunderson into investigator mode. Closing in on what’s happened and Jerry Lundegaard’s desperation begins to spiral.
Frances McDormand won an Oscar for all this and she was brilliant in the role.
At the start of the film, there’s a brief bit of text saying the film was adapted from a real story. That’s a lie, the Coen brothers (Joel and Ethan) made them up to add an extra sense of brutality to proceedings.
Joel Coen directed by himself, but the pair wrote the script. Ethan produced the film.
It’s arguably their best work, although No Country For Old Men (2007) fans would argue otherwise. But there’s no denying Fargo is an infinitely rewatchable masterpiece, its themes prevalent to this day, and every second of it honed to perfection. It is a perfect film from start to finish.
And an often overlooked element is composer Carter Burwell’s fantastic score.
Fargo was a moderate commercial success in 1996. Its $7 million budget resulted in a $60.6 million box office return.
Critical acclaim was everywhere and it received seven Oscar nominations, with McDormand winning Best Actress and the Coens for Best Original Screenplay (it later resulted in a critically acclaimed TV series spinoff, which has run across five seasons from 2014 to 2024.
Sadly, there was no major re-release in UK cinemas to mark the occasion. But you can easily watch the film online across several streaming services. Or buy the Blu-ray/DVD.
Whether it’s been 10, 20, or 30 years since you last watched it, it’s time you return to Brainerd and experience what a woodchipper can be used for.
