Fargo

REVIEW
The peculiarly heightened reality that is a trademark of Coen Brothers' films is well suited to this bizarre tale of a seemingly solid, middle-class man (Macy) whose proximity to financial ruin precipitates a hare-brained scheme for quick monetary reward. His plan - to arrange his wife's kidnapping and split with the hired kidnappers the ransom to be paid by his wealthy father-in-law - is conceived in gnawing greed and blind stupidity, and culminates in horrific tragedy imbued with macabre humor.

All of the performances are remarkable, overtly broad yet cunningly subtle. Macy is an accomplished journeyman actor, and he renders an authentic and pathetic character. But the absolute delight is Oscar-winning McDormand as Marge the pregnant police chief, offhandedly battling morning sickness as she examines a triple-homicide crime scene. Minnesota's vast frozen expanses endow physicality to the desperate isolation that underlies this winter's tale. An unnerving study of human fraility and deception.