Classic Cinema: Fargo

Sometimes the Oscars are a little controversial. However, Fargo fully deserved the two it was awarded in 1996 for Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay. The film is the story, marvellously told by the Coen brothers, of a car salesman, Jerry. This salesman, played by William H. Macy, is strapped for cash and so hires two thugs to kidnap his wife for a ransom from his rich father-in-law. Now if ever I heard a plan which simply cannot go wrong, that’s it.

After the death of three people, Police Chief Marge (Frances McDormand) starts investigating. She is not the clichéd wise-cracking super-cop found in so many films. In fact this film is, refreshingly, totally absent of cliché. She is a seven month pregnant, coffee-drinking woman who is in a genuinely loving relationship. She also happens to be a very intelligent policewoman, as she painstakingly investigates the triple murder. From the outset, she is depicted as very human. Her encounter with the crime scene reminds us of this as she suddenly switches from hungry to doubled over about to vomit and back again to hungry – the Coen brothers demonstrate that she is as vulnerable and hormonally maladjusted as any pregnant woman.

Subtlety is this film’s watchword. The final message of Fargo is very easy to miss, and the tension and drama is not accompanied by massive crescendos from an overworked score. Instead, everything is derived from the exquisite screenplay, providing great dark humour and excellent characters. As well as the driven policewoman and the hapless car salesman, there’s the belligerent businessman father-in-law and the two hired thugs. These thugs are another highlight of the film. One, played by Steve Buscemi, is hilariously described as “kinda funny-lookin’” and gets increasingly wound up as the plot progresses. The other, Peter Stormare’s character, is depicted as a menacing psychopath who usually communicates through grunts and stares, and whose actions are almost exclusively threatening, violent or just downright unpleasant. The strained relationship between these two, typified by the one-sided conversation they have during the car journey to kidnap the wife, is a memorable source of constant tension.

The real beauty here is the understatement of all the drama: there are no huge explosions, no fast-paced adrenaline-driven car chases but it still manages to be a gripping and very human thriller laced with dark humour.