Fargo

When things go to sh**, they really go to sh**. And nobody can tell you about that better than Steve "Funny in General" Buscemi. And maybe also everyone else who had anything to do with the events from Moose Lake, including the pregnant sheriff, the pissing-himself sales manager, and the inarticulate lunatic with a passion for woodchippers. And for what? For a little bit of money? (04/02/2006)

Certainly not my favorite Coen brothers film, though the way they are able to graft brutality, thriller suspense, and their traditional absurd comedy of human types and their superficial dialogues lightly touches on perfection. The excellent cast hardly astonishes (Stormare takes one’s breath away with his study of complete dementia and Frances is infinitely cute), and perfect and elaborated directing with all the changes in tempo and mood is simply expected of the Coens... Formally, it evokes a white snowy wasteland, with all the quiet places, roads going nowhere and very loose narration. Fargo swims in a very strange current, in which are intertwined a thrilling drama, a psychological study of the life of a loser and a Coen comedy about every-men who get entangled in a bubbling cauldron of brutality. Nothing is self-serving, everything has its order and the brothers, as always, stand on the side of ordinary "idiots". Thanks to this, Fargo is much more optimistic than the subsequent No Country for Old Men. Here, the law is achievable and the world returns to its old habits, to a bed with a bald dumbass and a box full of documents from the life of insects. A good, kind world. But I prefer the pre-apocalyptic wasteland of Cormac McCarthy... and thereby also this country. (12/01/2009)

85% Oh shit, this is overrated as fuck, what for?! Mediocre actors, a plot that's not very interesting (just because it's based on a true story doesn't mean it's immediately awesome), minimal twists, slow pace, few jokes, in short the most dull crime drama of the dullest, which actually only made me happy because of two gore scenes, but otherwise boring. 50% (21/01/2015)

I have a problem with Fargo. It contains a dozen unforgettable scenes, great characters and one of Carter Burwell’s best soundtracks, but it tries so hard to be a caricature that it loses touch with reality. It thus loses some of its seriousness, which was supposed to be its key element, and remains only an original film curiosity. I spent a long time vacillating between three and four stars. I settled on four, but only for the individual scenes. The atmosphere and omnipresent snow are not enough to make a movie complex and relatable. (04/07/2009)

A superb thriller in the Coens’ unmistakable style. Everything played into their hands: 1) the magnificently bleak mood of winter Minnesota, 2) the simple yet impressive soundtrack, 3) Macey and his characterful portrayal of mean-spirited jerk and underdog, as only he can play it, 4) the pair of goons, irresistibly played by Buscemi and Stormare. Add to this the Coens' absurdist humour (e.g. the scene where Buscemi buries the money in the snow), and the final rating is easy. Only the Oscar to McDormand is a bit of a mystery to me. (11/05/2003)