Fargo (film)

Fargo is a 1996 film created by brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. It is set in the Upper Midwest (the opening and closing scenes are set in North Dakota and the rest in Minnesota, USA) and tells the tale of a car salesman (William H. Macy), who has hired two hit men (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife (Kristen Rudrud) for a ransom of $1,000,000. It sets off a chain of murders in the region and the ensuing investigation by pregnant policewoman Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand).

Fargo won two Academy Awards in 1996 — for Best Screenplay and another for Best Actress for Frances McDormand. The film also won the British BAFTA Award and several other international film awards, including the Award for Best Director (Joel Coen) at the Cannes Film Festival of 1996.

The film was ranked #84 on the American Film Institute's "100 Years...100 Movies" list, although it was removed from the 2007 version, and #93 on its "100 Years...100 Laughs" list. In addition, Marge Gunderson was ranked #33 on the AFI's list of greatest film heroes. In 2006, this film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" (the latest film to be on the list) and is one of the leading examples of the neo-noir and comedy genre.

The film was released on DVD initially on July 8, 1997 in a bare-bones edition and widescreen transfer. The Special Edition DVD was released on September 30, 2003.