Should've Made the List: Fargo
- SpoilerAlertBlog
- Jan 26, 2019
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 6, 2020
THIS IS A TRUE STORY.
The movie depicted in this blog was watched in Virginia in 2019.
At the request of the viewer, her name has stayed the same.
Out of respect for the filmmakers, the rest has been told with wry humor as it occurred.
Movie: Fargo
Year: 1996
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (uncredited)
Cast: Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare
NOTE: Please read the following text in a heavy Minnesotan accent, don’tcha know.
Oh jeez! I must admit I wasn’t using my noggin’ just right. I popped in my Blu-ray for Fargo without verifying it was on that there list. Rather, it’s on AFI’s 100 Greatest Heroes & Villains. Either way, I waded too deep into this creek to not post it and darn tootin’ I’ll use any excuse to re-watch this cult classic.
A bit of a misnomer, Fargois mostly set in and around Brainerd, Minnesota which houses a large Paul Bunyan statue. This snowy landscape with brown-clad residents provides a stark contrast to the regular appearance of blood. While not the goriest of films, it also is certainly not made for the queasiest of viewers.
Among these middle-class houses and salt-stained cars, a pregnant police chief deals with the unfolding events put forth and complicated by a series of bumbling male idiots. With her sweet disposition, overwhelming competence and stern dedication to uncovering the truth, Marge Gunderson navigates the complicated web of a crime gone wrong.
As we venture into the nitty-gritty of this crime fueled Coen Brothers film, the veracity of this “True Story” has been overtly debunked in the years following its release. Some tied it to a loosely similar New England crime, but Joel and Ethan since said they thought this claim of truth would simply allow audiences to more easily connect with the story. Noah Hawley, creator of the anthology series it inspired, has said he uses this “True Story” claim as a reminder to seek out the truer option of a story over the flashier twists. (Also, watch the Fargo series. Underrated in many ways, this show slays each season with stellar casts shining through the blizzards in which they film.)
"I'm not sure I agree with you a hundred percent on your police work, there, Lou."
- Marge Gunderson, Fargo
Defendant #1: For Pete’s sake, Jerry Lundegaard is a hapless car salesman with a habit of blaming others for his life’s failings. Married to the daughter of a wealthy businessman, Jerry’s financials are upside down and he thinks of a get-rich-quick scheme in order to afford his dream parking lot venture. What to do when you need money? Well, in Jerry’s half-baked world, that means hiring thugs to kidnap your wife to extort money from your father-in-law. As logical as this plan sounds, things go south quickly. If you too are in need of money and want to follow Jerry’s business model, you should contemplate the following considerations: What are the chances your wife will come out of this alive, or at the very least, without PTSD? If you have a kid, who will raise him if everything goes awry and how will he handle his mom’s secret kidnapping? Is your rich father-in-law one who easily follows your lead on important matters? If the answers to these questions are not favorable, maybe explore other ventures.
Defendant #2 (deceased): Carl Showalter, a kinda funny-looking little guy with an affinity for prostitutes, has more confidence in his ability to talk his way out of situations than he should. Drowning in the stream of “fucks” constantly flowing from his mouth, he has poor decision making skills when picking his literal partner in crime, a man who fills every conversation lull with the sound of a bullet. Not one to diffuse a situation with his calm demeanor, he is eventually shot in the face with blood spurting out of his cheek. In his miraculous ability to power through the hole in his face, he doesn’t seem to read others well which leads to his death.
Defendant #3: Friends of Gaear Grimsrud speak of his kind soul and mild manner, like the state trooper he shot when Carl failed to quickly resolve being pulled over or the witnesses passing by he shot in the snow. Trigger happy may be putting it mildly, as he gladly takes the shot if it gets him to his next plate of pancakes in a jiff. Not a man of many words, he counts “fuck” among his favorite. As his aggravations continue to rise throughout the movie, his violent tendencies increase. Trying to watch his show in peace, Jerry’s wife makes it pretty far in the movie to be taken down by Gaear’s avoidance of annoyance. When the bullet-ridden Carl returns to their cabin and they get in a spat, he decides the best way to get rid of Carl is via wood chipper. If I were you, I would double check your mulch wasn’t made in Minnesota. It may not contain the organic matter you were hoping.
In-Memoriam: To all the dead, most of you didn’t have developed personalities established in the film, but some of you did stimulate my gag reflex. Cheers to the cop who was just doing his job, but probably should have let them keep driving that day. A real “damn, that sucks” to the couple driving by as Carl was moving the cop’s body only to overturn in their fury to get away. Being shot in the back while running in the snow and in the face while upside down locked in a car does seem like a fairly shit way to die. Wade Gustafson, for being a wealthy businessman, you maybe should have been a little more cautious when threatening your daughter’s kidnapper with a gun. You seemed to have a rather dick-ish personality, but you were at least half-assing that attempt to get your daughter back. Dear parking lot attendant, hopefully you can form a wrong-place-wrong-time club in heaven with the other victims. Jean Lundegaard, let’s all be real, you had bad taste in spouses and made dumb decisions while being kidnapped. Not one to victim blame, however, I would suggest when a man in a ski mask holding a crowbar is scoping out which window to break, maybe do anything other than sit there. A “thanks for that” Carl, now I get triggered by wood chippers.
"Well, the little guy was kinda funny-lookin'."
- Hooker No. 1, Fargo
The one question seemingly slipping everyone’s mind, what happens to Jerry and Jean’s son? Being able to join the hockey team now seems like small potatoes, don’tcha think, given the fact your mom and grandfather died in a rather brutal manner all because of your fleeing father’s desire to go up an income bracket. Hopefully your inheritance from your grandfather will offset your father’s debts so you can afford that team of therapists you’ll need, and likely, fund your soon to develop substance abuse problem.
While the Coen Brothers are among the most masterful filmmakers creating work today, this film stands out as one of their best and easily one of their most iconic. Marge Gunderson is the female protagonist we all needed, long before Hollywood even deigned to discuss the lack of proper female roles. It’s her singular focus that leads to this resolution. With beautifully shot scenes and dialogue that functions in a heightened state while maintaining distinctly natural rhythms under its easily-mocked dialect, it is clear to see how this movie walked away with Oscars. Featured on another list, AFI’s 100 Greatest American Films of All Time (10thAnniversary Edition) should easily have replaced lesser movies with this one on its list. Did AFI make a mistake? You betcha!
"And for what? For a little bit of money? There's more to life than a little money, you know. Don'tcha know that? And here ya are, and it's a beautiful day. Well. I just don't understand it."
- Marge Gunderson, Fargo
Post-Script: If there is one takeaway from this post, it should be to tune into the Fargo series for concise storytelling with campy, criminal fun.
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