Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) is a sales manager at a car dealership in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He runs into debt trouble, and he hires two thugs (played by Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) from Fargo, North Dakota in a scheme to extort his father-in-law (Harve Presnell) by pretending to have his wife (Kristin Rudrüd) kidnapped by the pair of criminals. Intended to be a non-violent kidnapping, things continually become worse and worse as unforeseen events occur and as the players and the plot drift slowly and slowly toward its climax. Meanwhile, in Brainerd, Minnesota, policewoman Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) is hot on the tail of the criminals.

"Fargo" is disturbing and shocking. It's brutal mixture of violence, language, and oddly comedic moments captivated me and really got me engaged in its story. There were moments that I felt genuinely surprised and saddened, and there were also moments where I laughed out loud at the absurdity that had just occurred. Particularly outstanding to me was the performance of Steve Buscemi. Every scene that he was in made me crack up, something about his demeanor, appearance, and line delivery. All of the other performances were top-notch, and I liked the over-emphasis placed on a thick Minnesota accent for comedic effect.

Fans of dark comedies, beautifully shot films, and crime thrillers should all enjoy this timeless twisted fantasy.