Fargo (1996)

In the movie Fargo, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, Jerry Lundegaard drives his life apart, dragging seven people down in the process. Jerry’s bleak life, reflected in many of the establishing shots of nothing but white snow for miles, turns quickly upside-down when he makes a plan to have his wife kidnapped. The two men he hires go off script when they begin killing everyone who would be a potential witness to their staged crime. 

The movie itself is well done; there is a balance between artistic cinematography and plot-driven action. The actors do a wonderful job creating honest characters whom you have absolutely no sympathy for, excluding Marge Gunderson and the distraught Mrs. Lundegaard. This lack of sympathy leans close to a lack of empathy, however, which could be a fault of the movie: typically we get to know the antagonist and main characters in such a way that we root for them, even if they are the “bad guy.” I felt no sympathy for Jerry Lundegaard, even if he had not intended for his plan to go as awry as they did. This could be perceived as an actors mistake, or simply the honest portrayal of a person. Either way throughout all of Fargo you are left anticipating the next part, the next plunder, with baited breath.

Cars play a large symbolic role in the film. Lundegaard is a car salesman and his father-in-law owns the dealership. The movie opens with a shot of a car driving through the snow. Lundegaard gives a car to his two hired criminals and later finds himself confronted when several cars he “sold” don’t have recorded serial numbers. Lundegaard is nearly discovered when detective Marge Gunderson begins asking him if a car linked to the murders had been recently stolen from their lot and he vehemently insists not, digging himself into a deeper hole. Finally, the tan Sierra makes its most pivotal appearance when Carl Showalter is leaving and Gaear Grimsrud insists on splitting the car. Showalter is killed when he refuses to do so. Cars typically symbolize face-paced modern society. This applies within the movie because Jerry Lundegaard is bringing fast-paced modern crime to a sleepy town filled with friendly accents and eternal snow. Lundegaard is also making “it all about money”, which unfortunately seems to be a theme of modern life. At the end of the movie, Marge Gunderson points out what a shame it is that all this destruction happened for money, again and for a final time, rendering her as the only hero of the story.

 By Tapley