The Movie

Still considered by many to be the definitive film by The Coen Brothers, the Oscar-winning Fargo remains a pitch-perfect blend of character-based humor and often-violent drama. The story itself, despite an emphatic message from the filmmakers at the beginning, is a work of fiction, the tale of a kidnapping gone wrong (neither the first nor the last time the brothers would explore this theme), but this sneaky illusion sets up an unsuspecting audience, making the frequent weird twists somehow more acceptable. Simple, yet brilliant. The Coens' highly specific view of the Midwest; the almost unbelievable politeness, the slight accent; was a revelation to many, combined with the wintry backdrop to create a memorable portrait of American life, crime and justice.

The Picture

Snow can be an unforgiving mistress, in the high-def era more than ever, and some shots in this 1.85:1 master are exposed as noisy, grainy, and, well, just plain dirty. There's also haloing around the opening credits, black letters against the pale scene, and the movie is largely rendered in a deliberately drab palette. Headlights shining right into the camera also tend to blow out. Don't get me wrong, there are some terrific-looking shots: Cars can appear organically out of the drifting whiteness, very faint snowfall shows up clearly, and in general detail is above average.

The Sound

The directionality and resonance of passing cars within the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is surprisingly good, while gunshots tend to really pop, sometimes echoing unsettlingly in the rears. The track captures the naturalistic detail of mundane, even bizarre everyday scenarios, interiors and exteriors, with an undercurrent of modest bass. The barely-audible approach of footsteps outside before the kidnapping is a testament to the precision of this high-resolution mix, and the impact of Carter Burwell's musical score has never been greater.

The Extras

This Blu-ray approximates the 2003 Special Edition DVD, dropping some bonus material with nothing new added. The commentary by director of photography Roger Deakins is an enjoyable mix of his own experiences with the bigger picture of the entire production and his bosses, the Coens. "Minnesota Nice" takes us behind the scenes, a featurette comprised of movie clips and multiple interviews (28 minutes, standard-definition). The on-screen trivia track shares easy-to-read little panels that can pop up anywhere and be about anything, really. The still photo gallery shows the brothers and others at work, while the reproduction of a vintage American Cinematographer article is also presented as a series of still frames.

Final Thoughts

While relatively lean on extras, like most Coen Brothers discs, this is a solid Blu-ray edition of one of the most enduring films of the 1990s.

Where to Buy:

• Fargo on Blu-ray Disc on Amazon.com

Product Details

• Actors: Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemik Peter Stormare, Harve Presnell. Kristin Rudrüd, Steven Reevis, Larry Brandenburg, John Carroll Lynch, Bruce Bohne
• Director: Joel Coen
• Audio Format/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English), DTS 5.1 (Castilian Spanish, Parisian French, German, Italian), Dolby Digital 5.1 (Brazilian Portuguese, Quebecois French, Latin Spanish), Dolby Surround 2.0 (English)
• Subtitles: English SDH, English Commentary, Castilian Spanish, Castilian Spanish Text, Latin American Spanish, Latin American Spanish Text, Mandarin, Cantonese, Croatian, Polish, Turkish, Parisian French, Parisian French Text, French Commentary, Quebecois French Text, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese Text, Thai, Czech, German, German Text, German commentary, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Dutch, Dutch Commentary, Italian, Italian Text, Italian Commentary, Korean
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R
• Studio: MGM/Fox
• Release Date: May 12, 2009
• Run Time: 98 minutes
• List Price: $29.99
• Extras:
  • Audio commentary by Roger Deakins
  • "Minnesota Nice" featurette
  • Trivia Track
  • Still Gallery
  • American Cinematographer article