Production Company(ies)
The Directors Company, Saticoy Productions, Paramount Pictures,
 
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Hays, Kansas, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
PG
 
Year of Release
1973
 

 
Genre(s)
Comedy
 
Keyword(s)
starring Ryan O’Neal, Tatum O’Neal, Madeline Kahn, John Hillerman, P J Johnson, Jessie Lee Fulton, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, written by Joe David Brown, Alvin Sargent, comedy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Gene Siskel, Jake Wilson, Wendy Ide, Jay Cocks, Roger Moore, produced by Peter Bogdanovich, PG rating, con artists, 1930s Kansas, road trip, father-daughter duo, swindling, burlesque dancer, bootlegger, Depression-era America, Oscar-winning performance, Tatum O’Neal debut, black and white cinematography, period detail, Dust Bowl era, heartless and heartfelt, foul language, women’s problems, unlikely partnership, phenomenal follow-up, The Last Picture Show, film nostalgia, finely tuned performances, expertly balancing tones, film critics, Fresh Kernels
 

Cast & Crew

Ryan O’Neal

Tatum O’Neal

Madeline Kahn

John Hillerman

P. J. Johnson

Moses Pray

Addie Loggins

Trixie Delight

Deputy Hardin

Jess Hardin

Ryan O’Neal – Moses Pray
Tatum O’Neal – Addie Loggins
Madeline Kahn – Trixie Delight
John Hillerman – Deputy Hardin, Jess Hardin
P. J. Johnson – Imogene
Jessie Lee Fulton – Miss Ollie

 

Peter Bogdanovich

Joe David Brown

Peter Bogdanovich

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Peter Bogdanovich
 
Writer(s)
Joe David Brown, Alvin Sargent
 
Producer(s)
Peter Bogdanovich

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
8 wins & 10 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Gene Siskel

Jake Wilson

Wendy Ide

Jay Cocks

Roger Moore

Chicago Tribune

The Age (Australia)

Times (UK)

TIME Magazine

Orlando Sentinel

PAPER MOON
  All Critics (43) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (40) | Rotten (3)
  It is distinguished by its moral tone, and it is the tone that lifts it above the average flim-flam comedy.
 
  March 14, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Gene Siskel
  Chicago Tribune
  TOP CRITIC
  Shot in black and white by the versatile cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs, this has a mix of folksiness and precise craft that anticipates the Coen brothers, aiming to charm and succeeding.
 
  September 15, 2018
 
  Jake Wilson
  The Age (Australia)
  TOP CRITIC
  Part of an incredible 1970s career run for the director Peter Bogdanovich, Paper Moon remains a high point, not just for the talent involved behind the scenes and in front of the camera, but also for Hollywood.
 
  May 14, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Wendy Ide
  Times (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  It is very fussy about period detail, and goes to some length to evoke the dim days of Depression America, while just about everything else is left to slide.
 
  August 17, 2010
 
  Jay Cocks
  TIME Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  It’s everything a road picture is supposed to be, a life-changing personal journey, a quest, a bit old-fashioned and a hoot.
 
  May 13, 2009 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Roger Moore
  Orlando Sentinel
  TOP CRITIC
  Tatum O’Neal makes a sensational screen debut.
 
  March 26, 2009
 
  Variety Staff
  Variety
  TOP CRITIC
  A small but near-flawless gem—as well as a testament to the kind of eccentric film that could a big hit back then…
 
  February 11, 2022
 
  Dennis Harvey
  48 Hills
  Of all the nice things that can be said about Paper Moon, perhaps the nicest is this: it’s the first new film in a long while that’s as enjoyable as it is good, and absolutely first-rate in both departments.
 
  October 8, 2021
 
  Janet Maslin
  Boston Phoenix
  …grows more and more absorbing as it progresses…
 
  May 25, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  David Nusair
  Reel Film Reviews
  [Paper Moon] is exactly what we have in mind when we talk nostalgically of what movies “used to be”–meaningful rather than metaphorical, engrossing rather than exploitative, humanistic in their comedy and their sentiment.
 
  June 12, 2020
 
  Judith Crist
  Texas Monthly
  O’Neal leaves a continent-sized impact crater in the center of the film, delivering an instantly iconic performance none have been able to replicate.
 
  May 18, 2020 | Rating: 9/10
 
  Nathanael Hood
  Unseen Films
  Peter Bogdanovich, using all of the hootchie-kootchie at his command, plus Ryan O’Neal, and even more importantly, O’Neal’s nine year old daughter Tatum, has made an ingratiating comedy.
 
  July 10, 2019
 
  Bernard Drew
  Gannett News Service…

 

Plot
Set in the midwest of the depression-era, Paper Moon follows Moses Pray and Addie Loggins – one a con artist, the other, the young girl who’s the daughter of a woman who’s just passed away. The pair meet when ‘Mose’ stops by the sparsely-attended funeral in Kansas of a woman he once knew (we never see her). In attendance, is the woman’s young daughter, Addie, whom Moses agrees to transport to St Joseph, Mo
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Tatum O’Neal won an Oscar for her debut performance in Paper Moon.
 

 
Peter-Bogdanovich.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Twentieth Century Fox,
 
Distributor
20th Century Fox
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Cabo de Gata, Almería, Andalucía, Spain
 
MPAA / Certificate
PG
 
Year of Release
1970
 

 
Genre(s)
War/Biography
 
Keyword(s)
starring George C Scott, Karl Malden, Michael Bates, Edward Binns, Larry Dobkin, John Doucette, directed by Franklin J Schaffner, written by Ladislas Farago, Omar N Bradley, Francis Ford Coppola, Edmund H North, War, Biography, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Wanda Hale, TIME Staff, Andrew Sarris, Variety Staff, Empire Staff, Dave Kehr, James Wegg, Anne Louise, Mike Massie, Larry Zolf, Michael Ross, Lloyd Steele, PG, 20th Century Fox, stereo, DTS, General George S Patton Jr., General Omar N Bradley, Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery, Maj Gen Walter Bedell Smith, Colonel Gaston Bell, Major General Lucian K Truscott
 

Cast & Crew

George C. Scott

Karl Malden

Michael Bates

Edward Binns

Larry Dobkin

Gen. George S. Patton Jr

General Omar N. Bradley

Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery

Maj. Gen. Walter Bedell Smith

Colonel Gaston Bell

George C. Scott – Gen. George S. Patton Jr.
Karl Malden – General Omar N. Bradley
Michael Bates – Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery
Edward Binns – Maj. Gen. Walter Bedell Smith
Larry Dobkin – Colonel Gaston Bell
John Doucette – Major General Lucian K. Truscott

 

Franklin J. Schaffner

Ladislas Farago

Frank McCarthy

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Franklin J. Schaffner
 
Writer(s)
Ladislas Farago, Omar N. Bradley, Francis Ford Coppola, Edmund H. North
 
Producer(s)
Frank McCarthy

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Won 7 Oscars
24 wins & 8 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Picture Winners, Oscar Winners
 

Top Reviews

Wanda Hale

TIME Staff

Andrew Sarris

Variety Staff

Empire Staff

New York Daily News

TIME Magazine

Village Voice

Variety

Empire Magazine

PATTON
  All Critics (51) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (4)
  I’d like to pin four stars on each shoulder of George C. Scott for his perspective characterization of the military genius, the controversial man.
 
  February 22, 2015 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Wanda Hale
  New York Daily News
  TOP CRITIC
  The movie’s vision blurs the man and, incidentally, the just war around him.
 
  February 22, 2015
 
  TIME Staff
  TIME Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  George C. Scott’s performance cannot be praised highly enough for capturing both the violence and the vulnerability of the Patton personality without degenerating either into vulgar caricature or cardboard sentimentality.
 
  February 6, 2013
 
  Andrew Sarris
  Village Voice
  TOP CRITIC
  War is hell, and Patton is one hell of a war picture, perhaps one of the most remarkable of its type ever made.
 
  February 19, 2008
 
  Variety Staff
  Variety
  TOP CRITIC
  Scott is simply awesome as the one-of-a-kind General George Patton.
 
  February 19, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Empire Staff
  Empire Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  Nixon’s favorite movie, which proves he was blind to ambiguity as well as a few other things.
 
  December 13, 2006
 
  Dave Kehr
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  Redemption through victory
 
  May 5, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
 
  James Wegg
  JWR
  Patton is one of the most brilliant one-man film shows ever produced.
 
  February 10, 2022
 
  Anne Louise
  Contra Costa Times
  One of the greatest war movies ever made.
 
  August 30, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  If he were to return in a Hollywood guise, Patton would just have to come back as George C. Scott. For Scott is Patton incarnate in a superb acting performance that rescues the film from some of Schaffner’s more pedestrian directing devices.
 
  January 27, 2020
 
  Larry Zolf
  Maclean’s Magazine
  True, we learn to hate Patton’s guts, but we also learn to understand the pragmatic magnetism that caused his men to follow him anywhere.
 
  January 15, 2020
 
  Michael Ross
  Los Angeles Free Press
  Naturally… we see all sides of Patton, but are exposed only to the more shallow surfaces of the other characters.
 
  January 14, 2020
 
  Lloyd Steele
  Los Angeles Free Press…

 

Plot
“Patton” tells the tale of General George S. Patton, famous tank commander of World War II. The film begins with Patton’s career in North Africa and progresses through the invasion of Europe and the fall of the Third Reich. Side plots also speak of Patton’s numerous faults such his temper and tendency toward insubordination, faults that would prevent him from becoming the lead American general in the Normandy Invasion as well as to his being relieved as Occupation Commander of Germany.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
George C. Scott’s performance as General George S. Patton Jr. is “as definitive as any performance in the history of American biopics,” according to the critics consensus on Fresh Kernels.
 

 
Franklin-J.-Schaffner.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Jolly Film Constantin Film Ocean Films,
 
Distributor
Tobis Filmkunst, Unidis, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp., MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Ízaro Films S.A., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, United Artists.
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
 
Filming Location(s)
Cabo de Gata, Almería, Andalucía, Spain
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violence
 
Year of Release
1967
 

 
Genre(s)
Western
 
Keyword(s)
starring Clint Eastwood, Marianne Koch, Joseph Egger, Wolfgang Lukschy, Gian Maria Volonté, Bruno Carotenuto, Antonio Prieto, Benny Reeves, Sieghardt Rupp, directed by Sergio Leone, written by Adriano Bolzoni, produced by Arrigo Colombo, Giorgio Papi, Western, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Simon Abrams, Chuck Bowen, Tara Brady, Peter Bradshaw, TIME Staff, Variety Staff, Peter Canavese, Matt Brunson, Mike Massie, Tom Meek, Nathanael Hood, Clint Eastwood as Joe, Marianne Koch as Marisol, Joseph Egger as Piripero, Wolfgang Lukschy as John Baxter, Gian Maria Volonté as Ramón Rojo, Bruno Carotenuto as Antonio Baxter, R-rated, Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo, Ennio Morricone’s score, Tobis Filmkunst, Unidis, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp., MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Ízaro Films S.A., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, United Artists, Mono sound mix
 

Cast & Crew

Clint Eastwood

Joe

Marianne Koch

Marisol

Joseph Egger

Joe

Marisol

Piripero

John Baxter

Ramón Rojo

Clint Eastwood – Joe
Marianne Koch – Marisol
Joseph Egger – Piripero
Wolfgang Lukschy – John Baxter
Gian Maria Volonté – Ramón Rojo
Bruno Carotenuto – Antonio Baxter

 

Sergio Leone

Adriano Bolzoni

Arrigo Colombo

Giorgio Papi

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Sergio Leone
 
Writer(s)
Adriano Bolzoni
 
Producer(s)
Arrigo Colombo, Giorgio Papi

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 4 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Simon Abrams

Chuck Bowen

Tara Brady

Peter Bradshaw

TIME Staff

Village Voice

Slant Magazine

Irish Times

Guardian

TIME Magazine

A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS
  All Critics (53) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (51) | Rotten (2)
  Every genre-loving moviegoer should see at least once projected on a theater screen.
 
  May 23, 2018
 
  Simon Abrams
  Village Voice
  TOP CRITIC
  The climatic bloodbath of A Fistful of Dollars still stings because the film’s swaggering braggadocio deliberately fails to prepare us for it.
 
  May 21, 2018 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Chuck Bowen
  Slant Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  [Clint] Eastwood may not have been technically gifted, but he had plenty of star quality.
 
  April 13, 2018 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Tara Brady
  Irish Times
  TOP CRITIC
  A Fistful of Dollars has a cult, comic-book intensity. It is the punk rock of westerns.
 
  April 13, 2018 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Peter Bradshaw
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  Once in a great while a western comes along that breaks new ground and becomes a classic of the genre.
 
  May 23, 2011
 
  TIME Staff
  TIME Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  This is a hard-hitting item, ably directed, splendidly lensed, neatly acted, which has all the ingredients wanted by action fans and then some.
 
  March 26, 2009
 
  Variety Staff
  Variety
  TOP CRITIC
  Iconic Sergio Leone western (with Clint Eastwood really understanding the power of stillness and restraint to convey status) in an amazing Extensive Special Edition 4K upgrade from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
 
  June 27, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Peter Canavese
  Celluloid Dreams
  A solid effort that establishes some constants.
 
  June 4, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
 
  Matt Brunson
  Film Frenzy
  Ennio Morricone’s legendary, highly unique score essentially becomes a character of its own – with some scenes lingering overlong as if to allow the melodies to finish.
 
  August 24, 2020 | Rating: 9/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  Groundbreaking and impeccable.
 
  April 6, 2020 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Tom Meek
  Cambridge Day
  Eastwood’s magnetic presence and Ennio Morricone’s unforgettable soundtrack blending flamenco guitar with haunting whistling elevates the film above its pilfered story.
 
  January 9, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
 
  Nathanael Hood
  The Retro Set
  … this was a new kind of western: cynical, violent, stylish, and austere, playing out in a landscape of endless deserts and clapboard towns infested with gunmen.
 
  May 12, 2017
 
  Sean Axmaker
  Stream on Demand…

 

Plot
Drifter gunman Joe (Clint Eastwood) arrives in the Mexican village of San Miguel at the border of the United States of America, and befriends the owner of the local bar, Silvanito. Joe discovers that the town is dominated by two gangster lords: John Baxter (Wolfgang Lukschy) and the cruel Ramón Rojo (Gian Maria Volontè). When Joe kills four men of Baxter’s gang, he is hired by Ramón’s brother Esteban Rojo (Sieghardt Rupp) to join their gang. However, Joe decides to work for both sides, playing one side against the other.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Clint Eastwood’s performance in A Fistful of Dollars helped establish him as an iconic star in the Western genre.
 

 
Sergio-Leone.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)

 
Distributor
MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)

 
MPAA / Certificate
TV-14
 
Year of Release
1967
 

 
Genre(s)
Crime/Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Quentin Dean, James Patterson, William Schallert, directed by Norman Jewison, written by Stirling Silliphant, crime, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Derek Smith, Marjory Adams, Lawrence DeVine, Clifford Terry, Myles Standish, Charles Champlin, Sumner Forbes, Richard Schickel, Renee Covington, Win Fanning, R.H Gardner, MPAA rating, Walter Mirisch, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Virgil Tibbs, Bill Gillespie, Sam Wood, Delores Purdy, Purdy, Delores’ brother, Mayor Webb Schubert
 

Cast & Crew

Sidney Poitier

Rod Steiger

Warren Oates

Quentin Dean

James Patterson

Virgil Tibbs

Bill Gillespie

Sam Wood

Delores Purdy

Purdy

Sidney Poitier – Virgil Tibbs
Rod Steiger – Bill Gillespie
Warren Oates – Sam Wood
Quentin Dean – Delores Purdy
James Patterson – Purdy, Delores’ brother
William Schallert – Mayor Webb Schubert

 

Norman Jewison

Stirling Silliphant

Walter Mirisch

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Norman Jewison
 
Writer(s)
Stirling Silliphant
 
Producer(s)
Walter Mirisch

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Derek Smith

Marjory Adams

Lawrence DeVine

Clifford Terry

Myles Standish

Slant Magazine

Boston Globe

Miami Herald

Chicago Tribune

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT
  All Critics (84) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (80) | Rotten (4)
  With its stellar slate of extras, which includes both sequels, and top-notch AV presentation, Kinos 4K release is now the definitive home video edition of In the Heat of the Night.
 
  April 27, 2022
 
  Derek Smith
  Slant Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  The two stars play their roles to the hilt. You don’t feel they are trying to surpass each other. Rather, it seems Steiger and Poitier are acting together like a team, each with his eye on the ball every second and not missing a single chance to score.
 
  February 3, 2022
 
  Marjory Adams
  Boston Globe
  TOP CRITIC
  In the Heat of the Night is one of the year’s best detective stories and most remarkable films.
 
  February 3, 2022
 
  Lawrence DeVine
  Miami Herald
  TOP CRITIC
  Stirling Silliphant’s screenplay is commendably unusual in that the relationship between the black and white protagonists is never conveniently defined.
 
  February 2, 2022
 
  Clifford Terry
  Chicago Tribune
  TOP CRITIC
  Norman Jewison’s brilliant direction and Stirling Silliphant’s trenchant screenplay have turned out a powerful picture, with bitter confrontations between two master actors, Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger, as diametrically opposed forces.
 
  February 2, 2022
 
  Myles Standish
  St. Louis Post-Dispatch
  TOP CRITIC
  Poitier is simply one of the finest actors anywhere, and reconfirms it here. And it’s hard to recall a role in which Steiger has seemed more engaging, and less the studied actor.
 
  February 2, 2022
 
  Charles Champlin
  Los Angeles Times
  TOP CRITIC
  This is a far cry from examining the structural and sociological ramifications of racism, but hey, we gotta start somewhere.
 
  March 22, 2022 | Rating: 8/10
 
  Sumner Forbes
  Film Threat
  Greatly to their credit and without getting preachy, they manage to transcend their cute premise and make a sound, serious and altogether excellent film that is quite possibly the best we have had from the U.S. this year.
 
  February 2, 2022
 
  Richard Schickel
  LIFE
  Artful and entertaining at once, pulse-pounding and thought-provoking at the same time.
 
  February 2, 2022
 
  Renee Covington
  Austin American-Statesman
  There is an aura of gold about In the Heat of the Night. It is the gold of statuettes — Oscar-shaped statuettes… But if there is here to be an Academy recognition of a leading player, male, only a twin Oscar would be justified.
 
  February 2, 2022
 
  Win Fanning
  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  It purports to be a thriller concerning an act of violence in the Deep South, but it is really a satire. And the butt of all its jokes — the phenomenon the others and I were splitting our sides over — is bigotry.
 
  February 2, 2022
 
  R.H. Gardner
  Baltimore Sun
  It’s quite a good movie — forceful and interesting — directed with much punch and pertinence by Norman Jewison.
 
  February 2, 2022
 
  Stanley Eichelbaum
  San Francisco Examiner…

 

Plot
African-American detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested for murder in a small Mississippi town, but after proving his innocence and that of another man, he teams up with the racist police chief to track down the real killer in “In the Heat of the Night.”
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger deliver strong performances in their roles as Virgil Tibbs and Bill Gillespie, respectively.
 

 
Norman-Jewison.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)

 
Distributor
Gramercy Pictures
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)

 
MPAA / Certificate
TV-MA
 
Year of Release
1966
 

 
Genre(s)
Comedy/Crime
 
Keyword(s)
starring Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, William H Macy, Harve Presnell, John Carroll Lynch, directed by Joel Coen, written by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, comedy, crime, mystery, thriller, drama, R rating, box office, budget, reviewed by Kevin Maher, Peter Bradshaw, Danny Leigh, Adam Nayman, Derek Malcolm, Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson, Steve Buscemi as Carl Showalter, William H Macy as Jerry Lundegaard, Peter Stormare as Gaear Grimsrud, Harve Presnell as Wade Gustafson, produced by Ethan Coen, MPAA rating, Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, Stereo, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR, Flat (1.85:1), Gramercy Pictures
 

Cast & Crew

Frances McDormand

Steve Buscemi

William H. Macy

Peter Stormare

Harve Presnell

Marge Gunderson

Carl Showalter

Jerry Lundegaard

Gaear Grimsrud

Wade Gustafson

Frances McDormand – Marge Gunderson
Steve Buscemi – Carl Showalter
William H. Macy – Jerry Lundegaard
Peter Stormare – Gaear Grimsrud
Harve Presnell – Wade Gustafson
John Carroll Lynch – Norm Gunderson

 

Joel Coen

Joel Coen

Ethan Coen

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Joel Coen
 
Writer(s)
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
 
Producer(s)
Ethan Coen

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Kevin Maher

Peter Bradshaw

Danny Leigh

Adam Nayman

Derek Malcolm

Times

Guardian

Financial Times

The Ringer

Hollywood Reporter

FARGO
  All Critics (104) | Top Critics (41) | Fresh (98) | Rotten (6)
  The North Dakota setting is icily evocative, the supporting characters perfectly pitched (remember Marge’s old flame Mike Yanagita?), while the air of sadness that blankets the film like snow adds genuine profundity.
 
  June 14, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Kevin Maher
  Times (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  Its brilliance [lies] in making the forces of law and order look as interesting and funny as the bad guys.
 
  June 10, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Peter Bradshaw
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  McDormand aside, the secret might be the perfect pitch of the black comedy, the two elements in rare harmony.
 
  June 9, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Danny Leigh
  Financial Times
  TOP CRITIC
  The movie stands as a pseudo thesis of the things the Coen Brothers have been interested in all along…
 
  March 9, 2021
 
  Adam Nayman
  The Ringer
  TOP CRITIC
  The Coen Brothers are among the most able practitioners in America and this film is one of their best attempts to turn a familiar genre — the True Crime drama — into something miles away from the ordinary.
 
  March 20, 2018
 
  Derek Malcolm
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  [Frances] McDormand is excellent and has a lot of fun with her tenacious and competent character, who is dedicated to duty and her sweet, supportive husband.
 
  March 19, 2018
 
  David Hunter
  Hollywood Reporter
  TOP CRITIC
  The spirit of comedy counterbalances the violence of the gangster film and trumps it hands down. Kind ordinariness and the wordy story clash victoriously with the irony of fate that lies in wait for enterprising hearts.
 
  May 3, 2022
 
  Alain Masson
  Positif
  Though Miller’s Crossing may be the one Coen movie as poetic as it is absurd, Fargo is the brothers’ smartest film and a matter-of-fact masterpiece.
 
  April 19, 2022
 
  Michael Atkinson
  Spin
  The performances by McDormand (bringing a great screen character to life) and Macy are superb.
 
  November 1, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Matt Brunson
  Film Frenzy
  …where the Coens’ craft fully matured.
 
  April 30, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Josh Larsen
  LarsenOnFilm
  The Coens’ dialogue is snappy and fun and they know how to ride the line between serious and funny. Their tendency towards moments of horrific violence doesn’t always work for me but that is one of their signatures and I can usually get past it.
 
  March 24, 2021
 
  Sarah Brinks
  Battleship Pretension
  A riveting drama of death, dismemberment, small town criminality, and exaggerated accents.
 
  September 11, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins…

 

Plot
The all new “true crime” case of Fargo’s new chapter travels back to 1979 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Luverne, Minnesota, where a young State Police Officer Lou Solverson, recently back from Vietnam, investigates a case involving a local crime gang and a major Mob syndicate. Helping him piece things together is his father-in-law, Sheriff Hank Larsson. The investigation will lead them to a colorful cast of characters that includes Karl Weathers, the town lawyer of Luverne, Minnesota. A Korean War vet, Karl is a flowery drunk blessed with the gift of gab and the eloquence of a true con artist. Joe Bulo, the front man for the northern expansion of a Kansas City crime syndicate. The new face of corporate crime, Joe’s bringing a Walmart mentality to small town America. His number two is Mike Milligan. Part enforcer, part detective, Mike is always smiling – but the joke is usually on you. Bulo and his crew have their sights set on the Gerhardt crime family in Fargo, currently led by matriarch Floyd Gerhardt. With her husband at death’s door, Floyd takes over the family business, frustrating her eldest son, Dodd Gerhardt. An impatient hothead with a cruel streak to match his ambitions, Dodd can’t wait for both his parents to die so he can take over and expand their business from kingdom to empire. Bear Gerhardt is the middle son, an intimidatingly large man who, although inarticulate, is the most decent of his clan. Rye Gerhardt, the youngest of the Gerhardt clan, views himself as a big shot, but in reality he’s just a small dog who barks big.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Frances McDormand’s performance as Marge Gunderson is widely praised by critics as one of the highlights of Fargo.
 

 
Joel-Coen.jpg