I imagine popular opinion now holds that "No Country for Old Men" is the best Coen brothers movie ever made, but for me this 1996 crime thriller will live on as their masterpiece.

The Coens have always had trouble integrating their warped sense of humor into their films, and too often they tip the balance over into the grotesque. But in "Fargo," they for once strike the perfect balance between the macabre and the absurd, and though laughs abound, the film never lets us forget the seriousness at the film's center.

The plot revolves around a money scheme gone badly awry, but the scheme itself doesn't matter. The Coens are more interested in watching what can happen to a bunch of ordinary Joes when money lust is involved. Anchoring the film with a beautiful performance is Frances McDormand as pregnant police officer Marge, whose country bumpkin accent and demeanor belies the sharp acuity of her investigative skills. The Coens are frequently mean and snide to their own characters, as if they're making movies about people who they feel superior to, but Marge is one of their most fully-realized and warmly human creations. She's the lioness protecting not only her cub but everyone else's cub as well, and the fact that she goes about her job with a smile and a friendly "hello" doesn't make her any less ferocious.

I love the film's final scene, in which Marge and her husband watch the evening news, both without actually speaking the words asking the other just what kind of world they're bringing their unborn child into.

Grade: A+