Fargo - Season 1

In the extensive and esteemed filmography of the Coen brothers, two titles have achieved cult status. Alongside The Big Lebowski, there is also Fargo. Perhaps it is somewhat mistakenly because I believe that film fans have a tendency to interpret this Coen title in a Tarantinoesque way. However, in the case of their crime cycle, which includes along with Fargo their debut Blood Simple, The Man Who Wasn't There, and No Country for Old Men, it is more about the psychological dramas of people in exceptional situations for the Coens, while Tarantino is more about entertainment and a cool style. The Fargo TV series, although produced by the Coens, really follows in Tarantino's footsteps. They only take the Coen style in the title, which promises a decent commercial response. In Tarantino's films, the screenwriter's goal is for his characters to be appropriately cool and deliver sexy lines in every situation, while the Coens strive for believability, even when confronted with absurdity and unpredictable randomness. While I believe in the Coens' antiheroes and bloody dramas, here we are in the world of fiction from the very beginning. But I must say that it is truly enjoyable fiction. In the ranking of world film villains, Lorne Malvo stands very high, I dare say in the top ten. Billy Bob Thornton truly played this character brilliantly and gave him a twisted charisma that many Bond villains must envy. After all, he is probably the only villain who managed to surpass the legendary performance of the Terminator, who shot up a police station with 18 officers in the first film. Malvo, in his reduction of organized crime in Fargo, is significantly more powerful and it's not easy for anyone to surpass his 22 scalps while clearing out a building. Malvo is an intelligent and experienced adversary, but unfortunately, he doesn't have a worthy opponent among the positive characters. This series stands and falls with Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman. Wherever they appear, the series excels, but when others take the stage, it quickly loses its pace. While, for example, Bates Motel has excellently developed supporting characters, where it is always possible for them to take on a leading role in the continuation, here the other characters are more like followers and figurines, although in the case of Bob Odenkirk, they are quite amusing figurines. Overall impression: 85%. (18.05.2016)

The successfully dusted-off "authentic" atmosphere of the original is exploited down to the last snowflake. Precisely cast with an excelling Thornton, a beautifully bewildering story, full of strange characters and random dead bodies is a wonderful homage to Coen movies in general. Beautiful music. (01.11.2019)

Gleich die erste Folge hat mich um den Finger gewickelt. Ich weiß aber nicht, ob es gut war, weil sie von keiner weiteren Episode übertroffen wurde. Die größten Trümpfe der Serie Fargo sind die Schauspieler*innen, vor allem Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton und Allison Tolman, und die Tatsache, dass es sich nicht um ein einfaches Remake handelt, sondern um eine ziemlich schlaue Fortsetzung, welche ab und zu an den Film der Brüder Coen erinnert. Eine Fünf-Sterne-Bewertung möchte ich der Serie aber aus folgenden Gründen nicht geben: einigen Figuren hat man manche Dinge zu einfach durchgehen lassen und die meisten Polizisten, ganz zu schweigen vom FBI, haben sich unglaublich doof benommen. Und die Drehbuchautoren konnten sich auch mehr Mühe geben und manche Geschichten zu Ende erzählen (wenn sie schon so viele haben mussten). Was ist z. B. mit Chazz und seiner Familie passiert? (16.04.2016)

I don't want to exaggerate, but immediately after finishing the first season of Fargo, I have a nagging feeling that I've never seen anything so brilliantly erratic, entertaining and exciting in my life (and I'm a pretty big fan of Brazzers). This series, which I consumed in one day like a beer with dinner, proved several things: a) that Billy Bob Thornton is definitely one of the best actors of his generation and, even though he plays a role that is essentially twisted, I had my fingers crossed for him more than I do for myself on a date; b) that the setting in this delightful satirical spectacle plays so chillingly convincingly that it alone deserves all the Golden Globes (and that it’s a prime example of how to work with setting in film); and c) that these days, if someone has an excellent premise, they shouldn't turn it into one feature film, but go on TV and conjure up a similar ten-hour extravaganza.... Until now, I wouldn't have thought I'd ever see Martin Freeman gradually turn into the cold-blooded killer, but it was simply brilliant and, in the sum of all formal aspects, actually believable. The first episode is pure gold. 100% (01.12.2017)

I really enjoyed the first season of Fargo. Oddly enough, I didn't mind it when there was almost zero plot sometimes, unless it came right after an action-packed episode. The entire first season was dominated by Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman, followed at some distance by Colin Hanks. I'm a little sorry that Keith Carradine’s character didn't get more screen time. Otherwise, I was very happy with the first season and had a good time. (17.02.2018)

I was quite surprised that the subject was successfully transferred into a series format and the right black humor was preserved. Especially Billy Bob Thornton is absolutely great in this direction. Martin Freeman proves that he suits complicated characters, he is definitely not as transparent as you might think. (02.11.2017)

As a big fan of the brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, I wasn't sure if I should watch this series inspired by their gritty crime thriller Fargo. However, my fears were not justified at all, because the first season was a great success. I was pleased that the chilling atmosphere of the original film was not lost and the typical black humor was retained. The cast of the main roles could not have been better. Especially Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman were so great that I'll have to think about including them among my favorites. (14.12.2020)