Fargo
A lot can happen in the middle of nowhere.
Jerry, a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt...but he's got a plan.He's going to hire two thugs to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law.It's going to be a snap and nobody's going to get hurt...
- Director
- Joel Coen
- Signature
- Craft · Drama · Tension
- Worldwide
- $61M
Who's in it
Cast
The billed ensemble, with character names. Open any performer for their Nutevio filmography.
The Nutevio profile
Movie DNA
How Fargo actually feels to watch, measured on the twelve traits our editors track across every Nutevio title.
Story overview
What It's About
Spoiler-free. Read the analysis below for the full argument.
Jerry, a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt... but he's got a plan. He's going to hire two thugs to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. It's going to be a snap and nobody's going to get hurt... until people start dying. Enter Police Chief Marge, a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing - and extremely pregnant - investigator who'll stop at nothing to get her man. And if you think her small-time investigative skills will give the crooks a run for their ransom... you betcha!
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
Checking regional listings…
Why We Recommend It
Why It's Ranked
Fargo appears in 7 Nutevio collections. Here is the argument behind each placement.
- Best Detective Movies Ranked #12
Placed at #12 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Top 100 Crime Movies Ranked #43
Placed at #43 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Crime Movies Ranked #44
Placed at #44 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Thriller Movies Ranked #46
Placed at #46 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Best Psychological Thrillers Ranked #48
Placed at #48 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Top 100 Mind-Bending Movies Ranked #87
Placed at #87 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Top 250 Movies of All Time Ranked #231
Placed at #231 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
The record
Awards
7 wins · 7 nominations
Academy Awards
2 wins · 7 nominations
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Actress
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Cinematography
Writers Guild of America Awards
1 win
- WinnerWriters Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Film
1 win
- WinnerDallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Film
London Film Critics Circle Award for Film of the Year
1 win
- WinnerLondon Film Critics Circle Award for Film of the Year
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
1 win
- WinnerNational Board of Review: Top Ten Films
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film
1 win
- WinnerNew York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film
The numbers
Box Office & Release
Fargo returned 8.7× its budget worldwide.
- Budget
- $7M
- Opening weekend
- —
- Domestic gross
- —
- International gross
- —
- Worldwide gross
- $61M
- Release date
- Mar 8, 1996
- Runtime
- 1h 38m
- MPAA rating
- —
- Language
- English
- Country
- United Kingdom, United States of America
Figures from the verified production record. Fields we cannot source are left blank rather than estimated.
Watch
