Released in 1996 and written/directed by the Coen brothers, "Fargo" stars William H. Macy as a car sales manager who arranges his wife to be kidnapped by a couple of lowlifes (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to milk money out of his rich stepdad (Harve Presnell). Frances McDormand plays the small town cop who investigates matters when the "victimless crime" spirals out of control.

It goes without saying that "Fargo" has a big reputation and it's well deserved. It has influenced many films, like "A Simple Plan" (1998), "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" (2007) and "Frozen River" (2008). What "Fargo" has that none of those movies have is a sense of humor. While the events are sometimes shocking and a few of the characters represent the worst in humanity, the movie's spiced with humor and I laughed throughout. A lot of the humor centers around the Minnesotan breed of the far north.

The film is short 'n' sweet at 98 minutes and was shot in Minnesota and eastern North Dakota.

GRADE: A-