One of the darkest and driest comedies in recent memory, Fargo is the simple tale of how a simple man’s problems with money and his desperation not only effect his life forever, but the lives of others around him.

Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy), the aforementioned desperate man, is a car dealer living in Minneapolis. He has fallen on hard times so, of course, he hires two men to kidnap his wife in an attempt to get her wealthy father to pay the ransom, which Jerry will keep for himself. These two men are Carl Showalter (Steve Buscemi) and Gaear Grimsrud (Peter Stormare). Carl is a talkative, “kinda funny-lookin” small-time crook and his partner Grimsrud talks little and smokes a lot.

The odd couple go through with the plan, kidnap Mrs. Lundegaard and throw her in the trunk, but on their way out of town they are stopped by a police officer for not properly displaying their temporary tags. Carl attempts to take care of the mess by bribing the officer with cash, but when this plan backfires, Grimsrud grabs the officer and shots him in the head, creating an entirely new mess.

The next morning seven-month pregnant Chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) gets a call to come investigate the murder of the state trooper and the couple that Grimsrud executed after they witnessed the murder. She very calmly assesses the situation and gathers the facts. From here she goes on with her following days, piecing together bits as she conducts various interviews which eventually leads her to Mr. Lundegaard.

Fargo is a masterpiece. The directing and writing is what the Coens are known for. It builds slowly yet never loses you. Carter Burwell’s lullaby-like score is a bit part of that. You’ll literally be watching nothing but snow-covered landscape shots with the score overlaid and be completely emerged.

The overall success of the film rests on the performances. Frances McDormand is the film. Without her, Marge Gunderson would have never been. She won Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 1996 Academy Awards hands down, and it’s so obvious why. Her accent is spot on and her demeanor is perfectly tranquil, but when she is met with confrontation, the courageous police officer kicks in. I can honestly say, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more convincing performance.

While McDormand makes the movie, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare are the backbone of the film. Macy is a bumbling, nervous wreck, Buscemi is an overconfident creep and Stormare is hollow shell of crazy. Each adds something completely different to the film, making the film whole.

I don’t believe my review does the film justice. Fargo is a tiny little film that dominates in every aspect — directing, writing, acting, cinematography, comedy, score and so on. You can’t find a film that does so much with so little, and is so perfect in so many ways. I can safely say, if you don’t like Fargo you don’t like cinema.