The five (5) stars Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, William H. Macy, Peter Stormare, and Harve Presnell in the order listed made this a spectacular film, but without the Coen brothers, Ethan and Joel as the triple threats that they are in writing, producing and directing this dark comedy/crime film it would not have been as memorable a film that it has become.

So good is this simple story line that has been repeated hundreds of times before and after this 1996 rendition of a kidnapping gone wrong but somehow the combination of these five (5) top actors quirky midwestern accents, and mannerisms, and the superb cinematography and scenes developed by the two (2) Coen brothers makes this film a classic that will surely stand the test of time and grow in stature as each decade passes us by.

I would rate this film certainly in the realm of the top 100 films of the 21st century. I give it a highly rated and deserving 9 out of 10 IMDB rating. Mrs. Shullivan also agrees with my evaluation and the 2014 TV spinoff series is a deserving homage to this 1996 film classic.