Fargo is a movie with little merit as drama and little other reason to watch it save one - raw random violence. If that turns you on, and it must have turned on a lot of people to get the rating it did from so many people, then its for you. Otherwise don't waste your time.

While Fargo is the true story of what happens when some sick minds get together and do the wrong thing, there is nothing particularly new about this theme in true life or fiction. And while Alfred Hichcock might have made a masterpiece of this story, Mr. Cohen, in his flat pan "cinema vérité " style makes it one hell of a bore.

Jerry Lungard (William Macy) plays an emotionless jerk that is in trouble and dreams up a dumb plot to try to get himself out of it. He convinces me that the real life Jerry Lungard was as boring an idiot as the movie character. He plays the part so well he is absolutely dull. (But then - it is vérité !).

Pregnant police chief investigator Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) plays a like character but with more style. Flat pan and in a plain Minnesota folk type Luddite brogue (`ja - dats the way is' - except sometimes I think I hear a Brooklyn / Illinois accent sneak tru), she stumbles around and finally comes upon the murderer(s). I use the tenuous plural since one of them (I can tell you this 'cause its right on the video jacket) - is mainly (very red) mulch because he's mostly been fed through a wood chopper!

This is a stupid movie about a stupid caper in which there are no redeeming qualities (in the movie, that is).

Siskel - Ebert - what in the world did were those guys thinking giving it two thumbs up?

So go for it if you love watching cold people commit a lot of cold blooded murder. (Was this movie made for TV?)

Ugh.

As Garrison Keillor might say, "and that's the news from the lake this week." Now if Garrison had written this movie it might be interesting (Cinema vérité noir á la Keillor).