Fargo (Special Edition) [1996] [DVD]

Shutout the movie lovers it’s the one for the weekend

One of my old favourite films revisited.

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.

Fargo is of course a fantastic film and it goes without saying it comes highly recommended, however I have to say that the 4K adds little to nothing on this release.

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.

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.

Frances McDormand plays the straight face police star. With an absurd plot that goes wildly haywire. However all the way through it is tinged with dark humour. Satire at its best. Everything is exaggerated. It is impossible to take this as a serious hostage movie. Brilliantly put together and shot in the most deadpan style. Vast tracts of nothingness. The clues come from chartacterless zombies (intentionally). The 2 hookers statements (to die for). How to get rid of a body without it being recognised. Its an intriguing movie, but it should make you smile. Frances is brilliant as are the rest of the supporting cast. 7 month pregnant cop. I dont like blood and gore but you tend to overlook it because the film is so clever. Definitely worth a watch. Highly Recommended

Entertaining but thought the reputation of the film was quite overblown. One for Buscemi fans.

One of my favorite movies growing up, does not disappoint, still holds up to this day as an odd and awesome movie.

Estaba entre esta (la normal, caja azul) y el steelbook, pero leyendo igual comentarios de acá, leí que lo único que cambia entre estas es obviamente el steelbook, unos comentarios agregados de los hermanos Cohen y que no incluía subtítulos, siempre la había querido ver y no la encontraba en servicios de streaming, así que si nunca la has visto te recomendaría esta y si ya la viste y eres un fan y la quieres tener, el steelbook seria buena opción

Quick, painless professional.Thank you.

One of my favourite cohen bros movies now even better on 4k and done by infamous Shout Select.Thanks to the seller for sending this in mint condition to me overseas to the UK. Perfect

Love this movieGlad to have it (Keeper).Really has that wholesome country thinking entity.