Fargo (Collector's Edition)

I was living in Minneapolis when this film was released. It came as a bit of a shock for the locals, seeing it the first time, especially when you knew where all the locations were filmed. The accents are over-emphasised somewhat to reflect how those from the Twin Cities (Minneapolis & Saint Paul) and out-state residents from NW Minnesota and North Dakota speak. Phrases like "yah" and "you betcha" are common for folk who grew up there - sometimes seen as a bit of a joke at themselves and their Scandinavian roots. The film itself is well described in other reviews - few will forget the final scenes of the film and how it all ends. What I will add is some detail for the filming locations for anyone interested. The film is meant to be set in Fargo, although nothing was filmed there. Practically everything was filmed around Minneapolis and Saint Paul. But over the course of 25 years, almost nothing remains of the locations used for filming. The Coen brothers grew up in St. Louis Park, a suburb to the west of Minneapolis, and have a very down-to-Earth way of working - quite typical of the locals. The film starts out "based on a true story" - not surprisingly then to hear that there were folk who drove to Brainerd to try to find the money! The extras on the disc describe the Coen's later "admitting" they had no idea it wasn't true! On a side note to this, the Pioneer Press newspaper in Saint Paul has a treasure hunt every winter - following cryptic clues to find a medallion, that results in a cash prize. Often the medallion was hidden under lots of snow (hidden weeks beforehand). So you can see why the Coen's would have said it was plausible. They knew exactly what would happen - 3 feet of snow won't stop a Minnesotan on a mission! Blu-ray transfer looks better than it did when it was released. Recommended, but still not for the faint hearted. I'd also recommend watching "Grumpy Old Men" which was also filmed in the same region - mostly in Saint Paul's East Side. Like Fargo, Grumpy Old Men was filmed at the wrong time of year - the snow had to be brought in for both films to depict a wintery backdrop, and both try to play on the Minnesotan dialects and quirkiness.

Fargo is a film you will love or hate. There's no middle ground. It's an ararchic mess that captivates from start to finish. The 4k bluray is decent. There are better looking 4k than this and there are much worse looking too. However, picture quality isn't the main reason you'd want this film. It's a perfect social comedy and satire. That should be enough for anyone. It's certainly enough for me.

fantastic - frances mcdormand is brilliant

Fargo is a Coen classic that no matter how many times I watch it, gives me a wince and a laugh. Frances McDormand is her usual excellent self although you could argue that her characters are always the same. If you're a newcomer to the Coen catalogue put Fargo prettyy close to the top of your wishlist. It's the Coen's doing what they do best, short and sweet excellent story telling. It does bug me that they put 'Based on a true story' at the start, just to get us talking about it. A bit of boy who cried wolf going on... The blu-ray transfer is very so-so. Most of the time, it's very grainy but the colours are enhanced. I didn't notice anything different with the audio - there's not much for HD audio to work with. Is it better than the DVD? Marginally but given it's such a low price it's just about worth the upgrade. Languages on disc: English DTS HD master & Stereo; Castillian Spanish 5.1 DTS; Brazillian Portugese 5.1 DTS; French (Parisian) 5.1 DTS; French (Quebecous) 5.1 DTS; German; Italian; Latin Spanish; Subs on disc: Loads! Castillian text and commentary; Brazillian Portugese, Cantonese; Croatian; Czech; Dutch text and commentary; French (Parisian & Quebecois); German text and commentary; Greek; Hebrew; Hungarian; Italian text and commentary; Korean; Latin Spanish; Mandarin; Polish; Potugese; Thai; Turkish NOTE: The packaging says that there are Japanese language and subtitles available but they are NOT on the disc. Region Free

It’s hard to believe that 25 years have passed since Fargo first appeared, fully establishing the Coen Brothers as innovative filmmakers coming on the heels of Blood Simple and Raising Arizona. Having seen the movie several times, it continues to be a fresh, hilarious 98 minutes of black comedy – a perfect combination of memorable characters brought together in a story with its relatively little dialogue frequently punctuated with “you betcha’s” and “yaa’s”. The performances are superb, topped by Frances McDormand’s Oscar winning role as the pregnant police chief, Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare as the inept kidnappers and William H. Macy as the car salesman whose life builds one problem on top of another, but the whole cast blend perfectly together to create a highly entertaining, sometimes brutal, tale. The film also succeeds visually, with the bleak, snow covered North Dakota landscape perfectly photographed, with this BluRay presentation capturing its sharp, bright images. For anyone enjoying quirky tales start here, though it's hard to imagine that there are still those unaware of Coen Brothers’ movies.

Great film very recommended .worth watching

I picked up the season 2 series on British TV in 2015 and watched it avidly. Then I was reminded about the original 1997 film and bought the DVD from Amazon and re-watched it. Whether or not you'd call it a black comedy or a dark chiller thriller, this was a violent but brilliant crime drama in all respects, particularly the story lines and acting. Unsurprisingly, the 1997 film won acting Oscars for pregnant Cop Frances McDormand and hapless embezzler William H Macey, and screenplay and best picture Oscars for Ethan and Joel Cohen, the originators. The film also won major Golden Globe and BAFTA awards that year too. My advice is to watch the original film, which will hook you, then go for the TV Season 1 Series DVDs (loosely connected but set in about 2001) and wait for the Series 2 Set to appear (made in 2015 but set way back in about 1981 - you'll love the town butcher!

Great movie

👍

Wonderful acting and videography

Used dvd played perfectly, so five stars for quality and service by the seller. How can you not love this movie?! It's just so ridiculous and funny and nutty, and classic Coen Brothers humor. A+ on the acting! And the frozen North Dakota/Minnesota landscape just makes you wanna cozy up on the couch under a blanket and watch the story unfold.

"Fargo"Is a movie that once it entered my DNA, I wondered how I survived without it. From the opening shot that references "Double Indemnity" to the (in)famous woodchipper, I found myself in love. Marge Gunderson remains one of my favorite heroes for many reasons. Since she's not introduced until after the first act, I'll get to her later. Right now, I recommend watching the movie and reading absolutely nothing about it beforehand. Then read some trivia on IMDb. The movie juxtaposes comedy and violence until they combine into one in an amazingly grotesque finale. We see such scenes as a woman watching a corny morning show while noticing a man in black about to break in. Her reaction is delayed at best. We also have the sudden influx of violence when the police first get involved which could derail the movie if the Coen brothers didnt have such a sure hand over their story. Recently, I watched a comedy called "Rough Night" that included a death which did, for me at least, derail the narrative because it got 'too real.' That's not the case with "Fargo" as there is a playfulness even when it gets nasty. The violence and comedy don't feel like separate films but merge perfectly with the narrative. By revealing as little of the plot as possible, I will discuss the characters. The two criminals, Carl and Gaear, have something truly wonderful in their chemistry. Roger Ebert described them as two cartoon dogs, one yapping incessantly and the other quiet but brutal when he strikes. Marge, on the other hand is a brilliant police officer who, in my opinion, is a true hero because she maintains a focus on the big picture rather than allowing herself to push and punish all wrongdoing she comes across. When she arrives at the scene of the crime, she figures out exactly what happened without even seeing the entire crime scene. Her partner makes a dumb mistake in his police work leading to the great line "You know, I can't say I agree with ya a hundred percent on your police work there, Lou." See, she corrects his mistake and then makes a joke so that he wouldn't feel bad for making the mistake. He learned from what she said, and there was no need to dwell but instead to clear the air and let him know she still thinks he's a good officer. Such observations may seem slight, but they make a difference to me. It's where the soul of the movie lies, in the goodness of people. A character like Jerry Lundegaard seems like everyone around him has one civil response, but by the second statement they run out of patience. His father in law hates him which is clear when we see the Employee of the Month wall. All the pictures are headshots except for Jerry who has a picture in which his entire body is present, making him seem smaller than others. I could go on, but this would be an unnecessarily long review. It's bold and brilliant, energetic and stylish. This is my favorite movie because I keep coming back to it time and time again.

Groteske, blutige und psychotische Hommage an die Heimat der Coen-Brüder - empfehlenswert!