fargo movie review

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson. Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson. Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.

• William H. Macy
• Frances McDormand
• Steve Buscemi
• 1.1K User reviews
• 143 Critic reviews
• 88 Metascore
• 83 wins & 58 nominations total

Top cast 42

• Jerry Lundegaard

• Marge Gunderson

• Carl Showalter

• Gaear Grimsrud

• Jean Lundegaard

• Wade Gustafson

• Scotty Lundegaard

• Irate Customer
• Irate Customer's Wife
• Car Salesman

• Shep Proudfoot
• (as Steven Reevis)

• Reilly Diefenbach
• Morning Show Host
• Morning Show Hostess

• Stan Grossman

• State Trooper
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia The snow plow that drives past the motel at the end of the film was not part of the script. Signs in the area warned motorists not to drive through due to filming, but a state employee ignored them.
• Goofs Jean Lundegaard dials 911 from a phone in the upstairs bathroom. A few seconds later, the phone is disconnected. While modern 911 systems could automatically identify the address, that was not the case in 1987. The dispatcher might not have been able to take any further action.

Marge Gunderson : [to Gaear] So, that was Mrs. Lundegaard on the floor in there. And I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper. And those three people in Brainerd. And for what? For a little bit of money? There's more to life than a little money, you know. Don'tcha know that? And here ya are, and it's a beautiful day. Well. I just don't understand it.

• Crazy credits A symbol similar to the Artist Formerly Known as Prince is in the credits as "victim in field", but it is not him, it is J. Todd Anderson, the storyboard artist.
• Alternate versions Polygram Filmed Entertainment sold most of its film library to MGM in 1999. As a result, when MGM reissued the VHS and DVD and released the Blu-ray, the MGM logo was added to the beginning and end of the film except for the former reissue print. In addition both logos are plastered in other releases with the 2001 variant in the Blu-ray, TV and digital prints, and 2012 variant in the 4K Ultra HD print.
• Connections Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Up Close and Personal/Muppet Treasure Island/Fargo/Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam/The Young Poisoner's Handbook (1996)
• Soundtracks Do You Know the Way to San Jose Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David Published by Blue Seas Music, Inc. and JAC Music Co., Inc. Recording courtesy Alshire International Muzak heard playing while Marge and Norm Gunderson are at an all-you-can-eat buffet

User reviews 1.1K

One of those rare gems in the cinema.

• Jun 24, 2000
• How long is Fargo? Powered by Alexa
• Is "Fargo" based on a true story?
• How many times was the word "ja" ("yah") spoken throughout the film?
• April 5, 1996 (United States)
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Official site
• Fargo. Secuestro voluntario
• Grafton, North Dakota, USA (Burying the money in the snow)
• PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
• Working Title Films
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $7,000,000 (estimated)
• $24,611,975
• Mar 10, 1996
• $60,611,975
• Runtime 1 hour 38 minutes

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed.

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

‘fargo’: thr’s 1996 review.

On March 8, 1996, the Coen brothers unveiled the true-crime movie in limited theaters stateside.

By David Hunter

David Hunter

• Share on Facebook
• Share to Flipboard
• Send an Email
• Show additional share options
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share on Pinterest
• Share on Reddit
• Share on Tumblr
• Share on Whats App
• Print the Article
• Post a Comment

On March 8, 1996, the Coen  brothers unleashed Fargo in limited theaters stateside. The film went on to earn seven nominations at the 69th Academy Awards, claiming honors for actress Frances McDormand and best original screenplay. The Hollywood Reporter’s original review is below.

A small-scale, character-driven gem compared to their last ambitious-but-disappointing production, The Hudsucker Proxy , the Coen Brothers’ Fargo is set in the filmmakers’ home state of Minnesota and winningly presents a 1987 true-crime story with an engrossing, unpredictable plot and fascinating characters.

Humorous and realistic, visually stunning and featuring great performances from an eclectic cast, the Gramercy Pictures release should do well in major markets and win the uniquely talented filmmakers a few new fans. Its subsequent release on video will make it one of the most talked-about films of the year.

Related Stories

'good night, and good luck': thr's 2005 review, 'shaun of the dead': thr's 2004 review.

William Macy is terrific as Jerry Lundegaard , a naive-but-determined Minneapolis car salesman who tries to solve his debt problems by hiring two lowlifes (Steve Buscemi , Peter Stormare ) to kidnap his wife (Kristin Rudrud ). Her father ( Harve Presnell ), a wealthy businessman and wily investor with the cash to ransom her back, suspects nothing, even when things go terribly wrong.

Locales have been changed and other liberties taken, but the crazy way the simple kidnapping plan goes haywire is too amazing to not be real. The characters are all strange and contradictory, none more so than unflappable, pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand ). When this delightfully warm and authoritative character enters the film, after the needless slaying of three people on a cold, barren highway in the middle of the night, Fargo evolves into something more than a Blood Simple -like exercise in contemporary noir.

Buscemi and Stormare  ( Damage ) are hilarious and scary as the small-time hoods who are not impressed with their employer and yet make the situation worse at every opportunity. What starts out as ironic and humorous becomes volatile and deadly. The violence is realistically bloody but bursts into the story in only a few sequences.

The film’s offbeat mood is centered in the dialect and characterizations of Scandinavian-descended Minnesotans. Led by the exceedingly cheerful and courteous Marge, the forces of reason close in on Jerry and the kidnappers in a smashing conclusion. McDormand is excellent and has a lot of fun with her tenacious and competent character, who is dedicated to duty and her sweet, supportive husband (John Carroll Lynch).

Director Joel Coen , who co-wrote the screenplay with brother Ethan, finds many inventive ways to bring the landscape into the story, using snowbound locales and claustrophobic interiors in a well-realized visual scheme. Roger Deakins ‘ cinematography is superb and Carter Burwell’s magnificent score is a wealth of folksy melodies and tragic themes. — David Hunter, originally published on Feb. 12, 1996

THR Newsletters

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Chris stapleton, jelly roll, brooks & dunn shine at 2024 cma awards; morgan wallen wins top honor, billy ray cyrus was “surprised” by beyoncé’s cma awards snub: “her album was brilliant”, lady gaga, green day, travis scott & post malone set for 2025 coachella lineup, why jelly roll was “at a loss for words” when meeting taylor swift, ‘cowboy carter’ collaborator willie jones signs to gravel road records (exclusive), why isn’t your agent calling you back he’s playing pickleball.

We sent an email to [email protected]

Didn't you get the email?

By joining, you agree to the Terms and Policies and Privacy Policy and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

User 8 or more characters with a number and a lowercase letter. No spaces.

username@email

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

• About Rotten Tomatoes®
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening This Week
• Top Box Office
• Coming Soon to Theaters
• Certified Fresh Movies

Movies at Home

• Fandango at Home
• Prime Video
• Most Popular Streaming Movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• 92% Wicked Link to Wicked
• 74% Gladiator II Link to Gladiator II
• 80% Blitz Link to Blitz

New TV Tonight

• 72% Dune: Prophecy: Season 1
• 100% Outlander: Season 7
• 82% Interior Chinatown: Season 1
• 76% Landman: Season 1
• 100% Based On A True Story: Season 2
• -- The Sex Lives of College Girls: Season 3
• -- A Man on the Inside: Season 1
• 25% Cruel Intentions: Season 1
• -- Our Oceans: Season 1
• -- Making Manson: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• 100% Arcane: League of Legends: Season 2
• 91% Say Nothing: Season 1
• 95% The Penguin: Season 1
• 84% The Day of the Jackal: Season 1
• 76% Cross: Season 1
• 96% Silo: Season 2
• 100% Lioness: Season 2
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV

Certified fresh pick

• 100% Arcane: League of Legends: Season 2 Link to Arcane: League of Legends: Season 2
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

All Twilight Saga Movies, Ranked by Tomatometer

50 Newest Verified Hot Movies

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming.

Awards Tour

The Gladiator II Cast on Working with Ridley Scott

Wicked First Reviews: “Everything a Movie Musical Should Be”

• Trending on RT
• Gladiator II First Reviews
• Holiday Programming
• Verified Hot Movies

Fargo Reviews

Immaculately plotted, beautifully written and superbly shot by British cinematography Roger Deakins, a longtime Coen collaborator, Fargo is a treasure.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Jul 16, 2024

Fargo begins with a thunderous orchestral score by Carter Burwell as it beckons the audience towards the tragic events that are about to unfold.

Full Review | Original Score: A+ | Apr 23, 2024

Fargo is a masterwork, one of the best films we’ve ever gotten to dissect the uneasy balance behind good and evil in a world where everyone might come across as nice.

Full Review | Feb 22, 2024

The Coen brothers get back to basics with Fargo by going back to their home state of Minnesota for one of the best films in their career.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Feb 15, 2024

Many cinephiles believe that Fargo is the Coen brothers’ magnum opus, and perhaps they are right, as the film has all the hallmarks of a masterstroke...

Full Review | Nov 28, 2023

A black-comedy slam-dunk.

Full Review | Jan 3, 2023

The spirit of comedy counterbalances the violence of the gangster film and trumps it hands down. Kind ordinariness and the wordy story clash victoriously with the irony of fate that lies in wait for enterprising hearts.

Full Review | May 3, 2022

Though Miller's Crossing may be the one Coen movie as poetic as it is absurd, Fargo is the brothers' smartest film and a matter-of-fact masterpiece.

Full Review | Apr 19, 2022

The performances by McDormand (bringing a great screen character to life) and Macy are superb.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Nov 1, 2021

The North Dakota setting is icily evocative, the supporting characters perfectly pitched (remember Marge's old flame Mike Yanagita?), while the air of sadness that blankets the film like snow adds genuine profundity.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Jun 14, 2021

Its brilliance [lies] in making the forces of law and order look as interesting and funny as the bad guys.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Jun 10, 2021

McDormand aside, the secret might be the perfect pitch of the black comedy, the two elements in rare harmony.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Jun 9, 2021

...where the Coens' craft fully matured.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Apr 30, 2021

The Coens' dialogue is snappy and fun and they know how to ride the line between serious and funny. Their tendency towards moments of horrific violence doesn't always work for me but that is one of their signatures and I can usually get past it.

Full Review | Mar 24, 2021

The movie stands as a pseudo thesis of the things the Coen Brothers have been interested in all along...

Full Review | Mar 9, 2021

A riveting drama of death, dismemberment, small town criminality, and exaggerated accents.

Full Review | Original Score: 10/10 | Sep 11, 2020

Fargo, as wonderful as it was, is a film I will never again need to revisit.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4.0 | Sep 7, 2020

A classic story of unique quirkiness, where the characters themselves are just as memorable as the events that unfold.

Full Review | Aug 5, 2020

One of the richest American films of the 1990s.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | May 19, 2020

This curiously overpraised yet solid effort by two of the foremost satirists of contemporary Americana again finds director Joel and writer-producer Ethan surveying the wreckage of our national innocence.

Full Review | May 30, 2019