Fargo

Fargo. 1996 PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, distributed to DVD by MGM.
Starring: Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, Harve Presnell
Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen
Available at Amazon: Special Edition single DVD, part of the Coen Brothers Movie Collection, or as part of a two-fer with Raising Arizona.

One of the greatest movies ever made, and not because it popularized "Minnesota nice". Trust me.

Jerry Lundegaard (Macy) sells Oldsmobiles in Minneapolis, and he's run into financial troubles, having fleeced General Motors. These problems are serious enough that he's begging the government for a bailout hatching a plan involving the kidnapping of his wife Jean (Kristin Rudrüd) with two acquaintances, Carl Showalter (Busceme) and Gaear Grimsrud (Stormare). Jerry gets $40,000; the kidnappers receive the other half, plus a Cutlass Ciera from the dealership. He also plans to tell his wealthy but antagonistic father-in-law and boss, Wade Gustafson (Presnall) that the ransom is one million dollars, and Jerry intends to use the difference to settle his debts. Some miscommunication between all parties follow: Jerry pitches a $750,000 investment on a parking lot which Wade initially shows interest in, and Jerry asks that the kidnapping be cancelled, but he can't get ahold of Carl or Gaear. They carry out Jean's abduction while Jerry is meeting with Wade and his accountant, where he learns that Wade wants to pursue the project by himself, and Jerry will only be paid a finder's fee.

After returning home, Jerry calls Wade to tell him his daughter's been kidnapped, claiming that the police not be contact, or Jean will be harmed. Wade only agrees to this after talking to his business partner.

The plot escalates out of control when Carl and Gaear are pulled over near Brainerd, Minnesota. After the trooper sees Jean lying in the back seat, Gaear shoots him to death with a pistol that was in the glove compartment, then orders Carl to removed the body from the highway. Two witnesses happen to drive by, and Gaear follows them in hot pursuit. After the witnesses skid off the highway, Gaear kills both of them.

The case grabs the attention of the seven-months-pregnant local police chief Marge Gunderson (McDormand), who quickly figures out the chain of events, and starts pursuing Carl and Gaear. When she first contacts and interviews Jerry, he claims not to have anything to do with the murders, although she surprises him about inquiring about a missing Cutlass Ciera from his dealership. Carl and Gaear, anxious to get paid, and feeling the heat, embark on even more madness, leaving Wade, Jean, and a parking lot attendant murdered in their path. At their hideout, Gaear kills Carl with an ax after a dispute over ownership of the car, and is caught by Marge shoving his corpse into a wood chipper. After a brief shootout, Marge arrests him, questioning why he did what he did "for a little bit of money".

Jerry does not escape the law. After a GMAC representative threatens him with legal action, Marge asks to speak with him again. When she asks to see Wade, Jerry panics and flees the interview, which is enough for Marge to call in the State Police. He is arrested in Bismarck, North Dakota at a motel. But, the whereabouts of the missing $920,000, buried by Carl after Wade was murdered (he brought the ransom money instead of Jerry), remains a mystery.

Highly, highly recommended...even if everyone talks and sounds like Sarah Palin.