Principal cast
Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson, William H. Macy as Jerry Lundegaard, Steve Buscemi as Carl Showalter, Peter Stormare as Gaear Grimsrud, and Harve Presnell as Wade Gustafson
Film 82 of 244 on the Screen Path
Fargo
A lot can happen in the middle of nowhere.
About the film
Fargo at a glance.
Screen Path places this 1996 film at stop 82 in one curated journey through cinema. The learning experience adds context before you watch and deeper analysis after.
Jerry, a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt... but he's got a plan. He's going to hire two thugs to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. It's going to be a snap and nobody's going to get hurt... until people start dying. Enter Police Chief Marge, a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing - and extremely pregnant - investigator who'll stop at nothing to get her man. And if you think her small-time investigative skills will give the crooks a run for their ransom... you betcha!
Key craft credits
Roger Deakins (director of photography), Ethan Coen (editor), Joel Coen (editor), Carter Burwell (original music composer), and Rick Heinrichs (production design)
- Director
- Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
- Release
- 1996-03-08
- Runtime
- 98 minutes
- Genres
- Crime, Drama, and Thriller
- Country
- United States
- Quiz
- 51 questions
The Screen Path journey
Before. After. Remember.
The featured film is watched outside Screen Path. The app provides the learning experience around it: a guide, an analysis, and a quiz with explanations.
01
Before you watch
Start with a spoiler-free video guide to the context and filmmaking choices worth noticing.
Spoiler-free02
After the film
Return after watching for a deeper video analysis of craft, meaning, and legacy.
Contains spoilers03
Quiz yourself
Answer 51 questions with clear rationales designed to make the ideas stick.
51 questions in this journeyWant to try a complete journey on the web? The Citizen Kane page includes the spoiler-free guide, after-film analysis, and a sample quiz.
Try Citizen Kane →Film data and images provided by TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.