Blockbusters
Drama thriller
Fargo (1996): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot
Fargo is a 1996 drama thriller directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, starring Steve Buscemi, William H. Macy and Frances McDormand. It runs 1 hour 38 minutes and earned $60.6 million worldwide on a $7 million budget. It won 2 Oscars, including Actress in a Leading Role and Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen), and 12 awards in all. Critics gave it 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and 88 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 8.1/10.
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- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 38m (98 min)
- Directors
- Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
- Original language
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English - Studio
- Gramercy Pictures (I)
- Budget
- $7M
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
The story
What Is Fargo About?
The premise of Fargo without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
In 1987 Minnesota, a struggling car salesman, desperate for money, devises a plan to kidnap his wife and demand a ransom from her wealthy father. His scheme quickly unravels when the kidnapping goes horribly wrong, and a confrontation with two inept criminals leads to the death of a state trooper. The situation escalates, drawing the attention of a determined local police officer who must unravel the truth behind the increasingly violent events unfolding in the winter landscape.
Fargo Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- dark comedy
- botched crime
- car salesman
- fargo north dakota
- one word title
- snow
- police
- car dealer
- minnesota
- minneapolis minnesota
- kidnapping
- neo noir
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- americana
- murder
- blood
- cigarette smoking
- cabin
- police officer
- sex scene
- small town
- north dakota
- blood splatter
- ransom
- pregnancy
- place name in title
- 1980s
- cult film
- famous score
- corpse
- broken television
- bar
- severed leg
- native american
- falling down stairs
- frozen lake
- father son relationship
- greed
- restaurant
- motel
- arrest
- hiding in a bathroom
- police chief
- double cross
- car chase
- location in title
- marriage
- statue
- gunshot wound
- shot in the face
- shot in the back
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Cast & crew
Fargo Cast
Steve Buscemi leads the cast, with William H. Macy and Frances McDormand. Directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen.
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Co-director Ethan Coen -
Co-director Joel Coen
From the directors
More from Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
More films directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, best-rated first: No Country for Old Men, Inside Llewyn Davis, Blood Simple and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.
Ratings
Fargo Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave Fargo 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and 88 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 8.1/10.
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IMDb 8.1 /10
See on IMDb -
Rotten Tomatoes 95% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 92%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 88 Metascore
User score 8.5
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 79% User score
See on TMDB
Plot
Fargo Plot Summary
What happens in Fargo from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
In the frigid winter of 1987, Minneapolis automobile salesman Jerry Lundegaard is buried in financial difficulties. His dealership is under the thumb of his affluent father-in-law, Wade Gustafson, and Jerry has embezzled a staggering sum from the business, leaving him in a precarious situation as GMAC threatens to cut off loan support due to discrepancies in the dealership’s finances. It seems that he has been borrowing funds against cars that either haven’t been sold or might not even exist.
Full summary
The whole story of Fargo, scene by scene
Box office
Fargo Box Office & Budget
Fargo grossed $60.6 million worldwide on a $7 million budget, 8.7 times what it cost. $24.6 million came from the US and Canada and $36 million (59%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$60.6M
8.7× its budget
- US & Canada
- $24.6M
- International
- $36M
- Budget
- $7M
US & Canada 41%
Rest of the world 59%
Awards
Fargo Awards & Nominations
Fargo won 2 Oscars, including Actress in a Leading Role and Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen), and 12 awards in all. Its biggest night was the Spirit Awards 1997, with 6 wins from 6 nominations.
12 wins30 nominations9 ceremonies
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Spirit Awards 1997 6 wins · 6 nominations- Won Best Cinematography
- Won Best Director – Joel Coen
- Won Best Feature
- Won Best Female Lead – Frances McDormand
- Won Best Male Lead – William H. Macy
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Oscars 1997 2 wins · 7 nominations- Won Actress in a Leading Role – Frances McDormand
- Won Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen)
- Nominated Actor in a Supporting Role – William H. Macy
- Nominated Best Picture
- Nominated Cinematography
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Critics' Choice 1997 2 wins · 2 nominations- Won Best Actress – Frances McDormand
- Won Best Picture
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BAFTA 1997 1 win · 6 nominations- Won Best Direction – Joel Coen
- Nominated Best Actress in a Leading Role – Frances McDormand
- Nominated Best Cinematography
- Nominated Best Editing
- Nominated Best Film
Show all 9 ceremonies Show fewer ceremonies
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Actor Awards (SAG) 1997 1 win · 2 nominations- Won Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role – Frances McDormand
- Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role – William H. Macy
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Golden Globes 1997 4 nominations- Nominated Best Director – Joel Coen
- Nominated Best Motion Picture – Drama
- Nominated Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Actress) – Frances McDormand
- Nominated Best Screenplay
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Saturn Awards 1997 1 nomination- Nominated Best Director
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DGA Awards 1997 1 nomination- Nominated Feature Film – Joel Coen
- Saturn Awards 1996 1 nomination
- Nominated Best Actress – Frances McDormand
Videos
Fargo Trailers & Videos
12 videos: 4 trailers, 3 clips and 5 featurettes.
- Trailer 25th Anniversary Official Trailer
- Trailer FARGO 25th Anniversary Official Trailer [1996]
- Trailer Official Trailer #2
- Clip "Whoa daddy"
Quiz
How Well Do You Know Fargo?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What is Jerry Lundegaard's plan involving his wife?
Cars
Cars in Fargo
37 cars on screen, including the 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera and the 1986 Ford LTD Crown Victoria.
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1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera Main role -
1986 Ford LTD Crown Victoria Important role -
1990 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency Important role -
1987 Chevrolet Caprice Minor role
Details
Fargo Also Known As
16 alternative titles, including “Fargo - Blutiger Schnee” and “笨贼满天飞”.
- Also known as
-
- Fargo - Blutiger Schnee
- 笨贼满天飞
- 파고
- Фарго
- 冰血暴
- פארגו
- ファーゴ
- Φάργκο
- Фарґо
- Fargo: Uma Comédia de Erros
- 雪花高離奇命案
- Fargo: Secuestro Voluntario
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- فارغو
- Đi Quá Xa
- ฟาร์โก้ เงินร้อน
- فارگو
Seen Fargo?
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Movies Like Fargo
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Fargo, Framed and Badlands.
From the blog
Articles About Fargo
Our article about Fargo: “Blockbusters vs. Indies: The Battle for Box Office Dominance”.
FAQ
Fargo FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Awards
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, awards and post-credit scenes of Fargo, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Fargo?
Fargo runs 1 hour 38 minutes (98 minutes).
When was Fargo released?
Fargo was released on March 8, 1996.
Who directed Fargo?
Fargo was directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen.
More films by Ethan Coen Who is in the cast of Fargo?
Fargo stars Steve Buscemi, William H. Macy and Frances McDormand.
How much did Fargo make at the box office?
Fargo grossed $60.6 million worldwide ($24.6 million domestic, $36 million international) on a budget of $7 million.
How is Fargo rated?
Fargo has 8.1/10 on IMDb, 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, 88 on Metacritic and 79% on TMDB.
What awards did Fargo win?
Fargo won 12 awards from 30 nominations, including Best Cinematography at the Spirit Awards 1997.
Does Fargo have a post-credit scene?
No. Fargo has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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