Fargo

Directed and produced by the Coen brothers, Fargo definitely deserves its spot as 84th on the AFI's top 100 movies list. Set in Minnesota and North Dakota, this movie follows the life of Jerry Lundegaard- a man in desperate need of money. He tries to turn his bleak life around by paying two men (Carl Showalter and Gaear Grimsrud) to kidnap his wife and by splitting the $80,000 ransom. Unfortunately, his bleak life only turns bleaker as the kidnapping goes nothing as expected, leaving three people dead and many more to come.

As the movie progresses, everything that could go wrong does go wrong. Then, we meet Frances McDormand, whose brilliant performance as pregnant Marge Gunderson brings the whole movie together. She is the perfect character. Not only is she funny, but she is an incredible detective who, even when solving a multiple homicide, never loses her small-town, Minnesotan self. Genuinely nice, she is the true hero of the story, and she ranks 33rd on AFI's 100 Greatest Heroes list. Her pregnancy does not stop her, and she is able to take down the man who axed his partner to death a scene earlier. She is character we root for. None of the other characters win us over like Marge. She is a character who we can respect and admire.

While the movie's plot is dark, there are moments when we can't help but laugh. The Minnesotan accents throughout the movie are uplifting and humorous. They starkly contrast the dark murders that are taking place. Throughout the movie are phrases like "you betcha" and "you're darned tootin" all of which add to the "fun" of the film.

This movie is incredibly written and acted; however, it is not without its faults. Watching the movie for the first time, I was left questioning certain characters in the play. For example, Mike Yanagita enters the plot for one scene, where it is evident he is still in love with Marge. To his credit, Steve Park played that role very well, and he was able to give his character depth in the few minutes he was on screen. However, I will never truly understand why his character was written into the movie in the fist place. His character felt unnecessary and out of place. Also, while I think the movie does end nicely, we are left with lots of questions like what happens to Jerry and to his wife? What happens to Gaear after Marge arrests him? When the movie ends, the audience is left thinking about it, even after they leave the theater or turn off the TV. By not telling us everything that happens, we can think about it for ourselves and draw our own conclusions.

Fargo is one of those movies that even 2 decades later does not seem out of date or "old." The Coen brothers definitely took risks when it came to the plot, and those risks paid off. While some of the actions may seem over the top and absurd, that absurdness only adds to the film and to its effect. The characters are wonderfully developed, and the plot is definitely intriguing. Would I recommend this film as a must-see? You betcha.