A thriller film hailed as a ‘masterpiece’ and ‘brilliant’ is now streaming on Netflix.
Directed by the Coen Brothers, Fargo tells the story of Minnesota car salesman, Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy), who, desperate to raise money, hires criminals Carl Showalter (Steve Buscemi) and Gaear Grimsrud (Peter Stormare) to abduct his wife, Jean (Kristin Rudrud), and extort his wealthy father-in-law out of $80,000.
As the plan spirals dangerously out of control, pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) begins investigating the disappearance, uncovering a web of corruption and lies.
The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the best director award, and soon after became a huge critical and commercial success.
It was nominated for seven Oscars – including best director and best picture – winning two, best original screenplay and best actress for McDormand.
Get personalised updates on all things Netflix
Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro’s TV Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we’ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you.
Fargo was named one of the 100 greatest American films by the American Film Institute in 1998, and is often hailed as one of the best thrillers ever made.
In 2014, it was adapted into a TV series by FX starring Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Allison Tollman, Colin Hanks, Bob Odenkirk, Chris Rock, and more.
The 90s classic holds a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics’ consensus reading: ‘Violent, quirky, and darkly funny, Fargo delivers an original crime story and a wonderful performance by McDormand.’
In its five-star review, The Guardian said: ‘Its brilliance [lies] in making the forces of law and order look as interesting and funny as the bad guys.’
Flavorwire wrote: ‘Not only did the Coens return from the brink, but they gave us one of the most memorable (if not the most memorable) characters in modern cinema.’
Many heaped praise on Oscar winner McDormand, with The Times simply surmising ‘Two words. Marge Gunderson.’
More thriller movies to watch right now
- Thriller film lauded as ‘an all-time classic of the highest order’ streaming on Netflix
- ‘One of the greatest thrillers of all time’ is streaming for free right now
- Sequel to surprise Netflix hit watched over 103,000,000 times is now streaming
- Crime thriller hailed as ‘one of the best films of all time’ streaming on Netflix
Village Voice commented: ‘The film is a work of brick-by-brick world-building in the service of characters whose ordinariness is just as carefully crafted.’
Chicago Tribune simply put it: ‘It’s another daring black comedy by one of the most consistently inventive moviemaking teams of the last decade, brothers Joel and Ethan Coen.’
Speaking at Tribeca Film Festival in 2021 to celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary, Joel explained how, when he would write with Ethan, they would not necessarily know how a story would end.
‘[It] would sort of reveal itself as we were working on the script,’ he explained.
He said that at one point, they put the script for Fargo ‘in a drawer’ and came back to it at a later date when they hit a wall with the story.
‘It sat there for probably four or five months and we didn’t think about it,’ Joel continued, ‘and then we came back and finished it.’
Fargo is streaming now on Netflix.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
