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Fargo

Play trailer Poster for Fargo R Released Mar 15, 1996 1h 37m Comedy Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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95% Tomatometer 111 Reviews 92% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
"Fargo" is a reality-based crime drama set in Minnesota in 1987. Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) is a car salesman in Minneapolis who has gotten himself into debt and is so desperate for money that he hires two thugs (Steve Buscemi), (Peter Stormare) to kidnap his own wife. Jerry will collect the ransom from her wealthy father (Harve Presnell), paying the thugs a small portion and keeping the rest to satisfy his debts. The scheme collapses when the thugs shoot a state trooper.
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Fargo

Fargo

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Critics Consensus

Violent, quirky, and darkly funny, Fargo delivers an original crime story and a wonderful performance by McDormand.

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Critics Reviews

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Kevin Maher Times (UK) 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. Rated: 5/5 Jun 14, 2021 Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian Its brilliance [lies] in making the forces of law and order look as interesting and funny as the bad guys. Rated: 5/5 Jun 10, 2021 Full Review Danny Leigh Financial Times McDormand aside, the secret might be the perfect pitch of the black comedy, the two elements in rare harmony. Rated: 5/5 Jun 9, 2021 Full Review Fico Cangiano CineXpress Podcast A memorable black comedy that, without a doubt, stands out as one of the best within the Coen brothers' impressive filmography. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 4/5 Mar 27, 2025 Full Review Tom Ryan The Sunday Age Immaculately plotted, beautifully written and superbly shot by British cinematography Roger Deakins, a longtime Coen collaborator, Fargo is a treasure. Rated: 4/4 Jul 16, 2024 Full Review Sarah Cortinaz InSession Film Fargo begins with a thunderous orchestral score by Carter Burwell as it beckons the audience towards the tragic events that are about to unfold. Rated: A+ Apr 23, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Johannes S Simple, abstract, and packed with a lot of funny scenes. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/27/25 Full Review Audience Member I liked a bunch of it. But I did find it too gruesome for my taste. I liked the lead, Frances. I thought she did a really good job and I liked the caricatures nature of how they portrayed Fargo. Decent movie. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/19/25 Full Review Cork B Classic Coen brothers flick. Offbeat dark comedy, weird characters, some splatter overlaid on a standard procedural. Having lived in MN for a good while but not from there, I thought it was funny as heck (see how I said heck?) I knew a bunch of folks in MN that were offended, but at the same time would have no problem looking down on Southerners. Half the fun of this film is a cultural hypocrisy that underlies the story. Is it excessively exaggerated? You Betcha. But that doesn't make it any less true. The upper Midwest winter visuals were also dramatic and brought back many chilling memories. I was a bit disappointed that everyone had on these super heavy winter coats and you could see liquid water on the ground in scenes. They must have had an unusually warm winter to shoot in because that wasn't common unless they were filming in March. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/10/25 Full Review Paola M Peter Stormare OCH Frank Gallagher? Ni hör ju succé Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/08/25 Full Review Totally Legal A One of the greatest movies of all time; got robbed at the Oscars because Joel just had to flash that it was “Based on a true story” before the opening, should have won best picture over The Boring English Patient (one of Ray Finnes’ worst works) as well as best original screenplay once again because Joel thought no one would believe the Coen Brother’s brilliant script and tale, that one opening statement may have very well set film making back; trust your gut; if you have an original story and idea own it, if you pawn it off on “a true story” no one has time to research that basically one time a guy tried to use a wood chipper to get rid of a body, takes up about 3 min of the film, smh; to date still the Coen’s masterpiece and solidified them as national treasures. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/16/25 Full Review Torben B Classic and a must-watch film ! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/15/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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Fargo

Fargo: Official Clip - Pancakes Fargo: Official Clip - Pancakes 0:55 Fargo: Official Clip - Whoa, Daddy Fargo: Official Clip - Whoa, Daddy 3:41 Fargo: Official Clip - A Little Bit of Money Fargo: Official Clip - A Little Bit of Money 2:01 Fargo: Official Clip - Fake Phone Call Fargo: Official Clip - Fake Phone Call 1:29 Fargo: Official Clip - Lundegaard's Dealership Fargo: Official Clip - Lundegaard's Dealership 1:54 Fargo: Official Clip - Carl and the Parking Attendant Fargo: Official Clip - Carl and the Parking Attendant 1:04 Fargo: Official Clip - Officer Lou's Police Work Fargo: Official Clip - Officer Lou's Police Work 1:40 Fargo: Official Clip - The Wood Chipper Fargo: Official Clip - The Wood Chipper 1:55 Fargo: Official Clip - A Finder's Fee Fargo: Official Clip - A Finder's Fee 3:31 Fargo: Official Clip - Morning Sickness Fargo: Official Clip - Morning Sickness 2:09 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis "Fargo" is a reality-based crime drama set in Minnesota in 1987. Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) is a car salesman in Minneapolis who has gotten himself into debt and is so desperate for money that he hires two thugs (Steve Buscemi), (Peter Stormare) to kidnap his own wife. Jerry will collect the ransom from her wealthy father (Harve Presnell), paying the thugs a small portion and keeping the rest to satisfy his debts. The scheme collapses when the thugs shoot a state trooper.
Director
Joel Coen
Producer
Ethan Coen
Screenwriter
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Distributor
Gramercy Pictures
Production Co
Gramercy Pictures, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Rating
R (Sexuality|Language|Strong Violence)
Genre
Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 15, 1996, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 27, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$24.5M
Runtime
1h 37m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, Stereo, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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