Fargo is exceptional. From the menacing soundtrack to the blinding white landscapes, it is impossible to not be stuck like a deer in the headlights, unable to move as the engrossing cruelty of greed drives towards you. 

There are many ways I could begin this review. Should I start by talking about the first time I watched the snowy thriller and the subsequent blowing of my young mind; or maybe Fargo’s long shelf life is more relevant as the show of the same name looks for a fifth season? I could mention its recent release and its everlasting spot as a cult classic; how about a nod to the ominous opening and its fictitious, “This is a true story” that instantly draws in an excited audience (“This is a true review”)? There are many items on the menu to choose from, but what is important is that the Coen brothers chose the perfect starter, main course and dessert.

Down on his financial luck, Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) finds himself in a dimly lit bar in Fargo, North Dakota hiring morally dubious men to kidnap his own wife. Once his rich father-in-law hands over the $80,000 ransom, Jerry offers to split it 50/50 with the talkative Carl (Steve Buscemi) and the silent Gaear (Peter Stormare). As ludicrous as it sounds, the pair agree to the job, setting in motion a plan destined to fail. At first viewing, it can be easy to see Jerry and assume that he is our protagonist: a desperate man trying everything in his power to scramble some money together to impress his adoring wife and her father who outwardly shows his unacceptance of his always-blundering son-in-law. Yet, it isn’t until a third of the way into the mishap-ridden escapade that we meet our hero: the pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand).

Where most characters are boiled down to their core attributes (such as a doting husband or a rebellious teen), Marge walks onto the crime scene and methodically shows off as she corrects her fellow officer with a refreshing dose of kindness and care. So far, Fargo has played like a highlight reel of greed and ignorance with the odd insert of dark comedy, but McDormand steals the show with her meticulous care for those around her; the first time someone is seen actually thinking. McDormand encompasses everything that the film was lacking: a light that brings humanity to a witty but still dark and dissonant world. 

Balancing the comedic tones with the ever-questioning moral ambiguity of the film is a task that both the Coen brothers and cast complete with time to spare. The sweet-bag assortment of characters don’t make light of the situations; instead, the absurdity of the situations are allowed to come across as everyone remains deadly serious. As the kidnappers approach the Lundegaard household, Jean (Kristin Rudrüd) watches with confusion from her sofa as a man with a balaclava peers in through a glass door. She sits there, confused, until he smashes the window spiralling her into a panic. The sheer lack of awareness is so absurd that the oxymoronic tones aren’t combined, simply lain over each other creating an intricate intertwining of the pair similar to watching a 3D movie without the red and blue lenses.

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum… Peter Stormare and Steve Buscemi. Photo: MGM.

The only real downside to the Coens’ masterpiece is that I wish it were longer. The blinding white landscapes beg to be explored as the iconic, eerie and menacing soundtrack sends chills with every ring of the bells. It is rare to find a film to be too short, and Fargo’s insistence on the constant flow of action creates a mesmerising rhythm, but after watching the first season of the 2014 show, I can only imagine what a little bit of extra breathing room could have done for the precise dialogue.

The Coen brothers have painted a stunning portrait of morality, comedy, and complicated simplicity. With constant movement and an ever-building story of mistakes and stupidity, Fargo remains in the upper echelon of film as it never stops being interesting, winning Academy Awards for Best Screenplay and McDormand rightfully taking home Best Actress. Yet, the highest achievement for the 1996 classic is its reluctance to stop. After the credits end, Fargo will dig a hole in your mind and live there not only as you continue to think about the true story that never happened, but as a benchmark for what film can truly achieve.