Fargo

Having loved the Coen brothers' True Grit (reviewed here) but being woefully ignorant of their other films, I decided to check out some of their past successes.  First up: Fargo.

Quick plot overview: an indebted man (Jerry) with rich in-laws hires two criminals (Carl and Gaear) to have his wife (Jean) kidnapped.  His father-in-law (Wade) will pony up the ransom- and Jerry plans to pay the criminals with part of it, keeping the rest for himself.  Seems pretty straightforward . . . and then it all goes wrong.  The criminals, after kidnapping Jean, end up killing a cop and two witnesses on the way to the hideout, getting very pregnant local policeman (Marge) involved in the case.  Several more end up dying by the time the whole scheme is discovered and Jerry arrested.  In the end, Marge contentedly returns to her boring town (Brainerd, Minnesota) and loving husband (Norm), who is possibly the most boring man in the world.

First impressions: I enjoyed the movie, though I was also disturbed at its mundane portrayal of multiple murders (which I think was part of the point). It's not your typical murder tale- equal parts dry comedy, suspense, horror, and social commentary.  I liked most aspects . . . though some of the "horror" scenes were disturbing, as I said.  It made me think- I'm still thinking on it 24 hours later- and that's always a good sign.  Movies should never be 'consumed' without thinking- you should reflect on the message(s) presented and their value.  Fargo presents several messages worth investigating further.  What are they?

The messages in Fargo are what I'm still trying to wrap my head around.  Here's a stream-of-consciousness on it:

- everyone has desires

•  Jerry has the desire for money, the criminals the same, and Marge for food and a quiet life (hey, she's pregnant)

- all desires are either good, bad, or good within limits

• Jerry's appetite for money exceeds what is healthy (and legal); the criminals seek out their desires illegally, making the way they pursue their desire incorrect as well; Marge eats a lot of food (probably not the greatest), but does so legally, in an acceptable way

- if we focus too much on our desires, good or bad, three things generally happen:

1. obsession
•  we focus too much on our desires.  Jerry sacrifices his family's health for his, for example.
2. escalation
•  Jerry and the criminals didn't intend anyone to die for their greed . . . but due to their focus- their obsession- with their desires, things get out of hand quickly.  They do things they shouldn't to obtain what they want.  At any point they could stop and yield to authority, but they keep digging themselves in deeper in a vain attempt at salvaging the situation.
3. deceit
• We obsess, things escalate, and we have to turn to deceit to cover our tracks.  Many in the film (including the directors), for a variety of reasons, lie about what they're doing and why.

Basically, Fargo is a story of unhealthy ambition gone wrong.  The hero of the story is Marge.  Not your typical police(wo)man, she approaches the entire case with a very laidback, low-key attitude.  She's never rushing, never stressing.  She has a mundane life and is happy with it- her desires are fulfilled in the little things.  She's content with what she has, even if it's not really that extravagant or amazing.  And I think that's a point, as well.  This world is not about striving for more and more and more . . . it leads to the above issues.  We have jobs to do, and we should do them, enjoy what we have, and have our focus where it should be.  Going outside of those bounds produces problems- for everyone. 

Rating: A-