Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Fargo: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie Review

"Heck of a lotta bullets for a fender bender..."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown November 12, 2014

Fargo took me by complete surprise. Going in, I wasn't sure if it was a remake of the Coen Brothers' Academy Award-winning film of the same name, a sequel, a prequel, a loosely connected side story... I knew nothing and, if I'm being completely honest, expected very little. I'd written it off before watching a single episode, which is a shame considering the biggest plot twist it has in its arsenal: it's one of the best new series on television. Dark, funny, unsettling, nerve-racking, disquieting, and deftly penned, cast, performed and shot with a Hitchcockian mastery of suspense, it delivers a captivating experience that's difficult to describe but oh so easy to relish and enjoy. Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thorton, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks, Keith Carradine, Bob Odenkirk and young Joey King are outstanding, as is the rest of the show's smartly assembled supporting actors. The story and scripts are brilliantly constructed and executed, with unforgettable dialogue, seismic character beats and unbelievably tense encounters. The cinematography and music are haunting, evocative and absorbing. And it's next to impossible to guess what cinematic turn showrunner Noah Hawley will take next. Fargo is gripping, riveting stuff, and far more sophisticated and complex than your average ensemble crime drama.

"Is this what you want, Lester? Yes or no?"

The first 10-episode installment of the series features an all-new "true crime" story and follows a new case and new characters, all entrenched in the trademark humor, murder and "Minnesota nice" that made the Coen Brothers' film an enduring classic. Billy Bob Thornton stars as Lorne Malvo, a ruthless, manipulative man who forever changes the life of squirrely smalltown insurance salesman Lester Nygaard, played by Martin Freeman. Colin Hanks plays Duluth Police Deputy Gus Grimly, a single dad who must choose between his own personal safety and his duty as a policeman when he comes face-to-face with Malvo, and Allison Tolman stars as Molly Solverson, an ambitious Bemidji deputy convinced that Nygaard isn't as innocent as he appears to be. She believes Lester murdered his wife, was responsible for the death of Molly's colleague, and may even have connections to the mysterious Malvo, a possibility Sheriff Bill Oswalt, played by Bob Odenkirk, refuses to acknowledge.

Like the film it counts as canon, Fargo excels in creating a simple town populated with simple folk that's home to strangely captivating everymen, ordinary heroes, common cowards, dangerous criminals, the dimmest of dim bulbs and other eccentric personalities. Walking a fine line between dark comedy and drama, it examines the underside of every rock without losing its sense of humor. And it's that balance and the skill with which it's maintained that separates Fargo from the competition. Where others might have easily veered too far into silliness, taken itself too seriously, or lost its momentum altogether, Hawley's series hops from one foot to the next without missing a step or cue. Comedic timing is one thing, but to nail comedic timing, dramatic timing, pacing, tone and plotting -- to make you feel so strongly for a group of characters while allowing you to feel at ease, laugh, gasp, grip the edge of your seat, or lull you into thinking everything is fine (when it most certainly isn't) -- that's something special.

More crucially, the parallels between the series and film only enrich the story and enhance the show. The series is a sequel, set some ten years after the film, and the handful of elements that tie the two together are carefully designed and deployed so as not to overplay or underplay the connection. The show introduces several similar character types and plot points, yes, but quickly distances itself, taking full advantage of the time a ten-episode TV show offers over a two-hour feature film. Hawley, his writers and his cast are patient and deliberate, affording each protagonist and antagonist a chance to adapt and evolve naturally as the story unfolds. The writer's room serves Bemidji, not the other way around. All well and good, of course, but nothing if not for the award-worthy -- in some cases award-winning -- contributions of the actors, who turn in absolutely stunning performances. (A few characters feel a bit forced; Adam Goldberg and Russell Harvard's Mr. Numbers and Mr. Wrench, Key and Peele's FBI agents, and Gordon S. Miller's Dmitri Milos. But go with it. Each one eventually becomes a much more organic part of the whole.)

Fargo plays like a 10-hour film, and not one comprised of cleverly masked tropes, clichés and genre conventions. A 10-hour film true and unique unto itself; a carefully mapped sister series rather than a rehash, a completely fresh take on not-so-fresh criminal dealings, and a story that's as unpredictable as it is unflinching, effective and electrifying. And if I haven't poured out enough praise, here's this one: Fargo is my favorite show of 2014. With the news that a second season is coming (set in 1979, when Keith Carradine's Lou Solverson was a young police officer), I find myself chomping at the bit, wondering where Hawley will take Fargo's anthology series next.

Fargo: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Aside from some inherent crush and the slightest hint of intermittent ringing, there is nothing, and I mean nothing distracting or underwhelming about Fox's 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation of Fargo's first season. It's stunning, with crisp, exacting detail, a fine veneer of perfectly preserved grain, beautifully saturated colors and skintones, nicely balanced contrast leveling and deep, noirish blacks. Close-ups are striking, with fine textures that are as revealing as they are well-resolved, and delineation is as forgiving or unforgiving as it's meant to be in any given scene. The series' cinematography already impressed on television. Here, free of compression artifacts and other unsightly anomalies, it delivers exponentially, allowing fans to pore over every shot and scene, soak up every last nuance of the production design, and realize just how filmic Fargo truly is. I was thoroughly pleased, even surprised, by the results.

Fargo: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Fargo's first rate DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is a study in sonic extremes. Silence is often disrupted by brief but brutal bursts of violence, gunfire pierces the soundscape, and there are more than a few moments of sudden shock sure to make you jump. And yet the lossless mix holds its own wonderfully, with excellent dynamics, pinpoint directionality, eerily effective cross-channel pans, and pent-up LFE aggression that turns every surprise into a weighty low-end shotgun blast. All the while, dialogue is clean, clear and intelligible, prioritization is flawless, and the rear speakers bring each desolate forest, vast snowy wilderness, local dive and humble home to life through an immersive, wholly enveloping soundfield. I didn't notice a single issue or mishap. This is as good as a lossless audio television track gets.

Fargo: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentaries: Three restrained but extensive audio commentaries are available: "The Crocodile's Dilemma" with executive producer Noah Hawley and actor Billy Bob Thornton, "Eating the Blame" with Hawley and Thornton, and "The Heap" with Hawley and actress Allison Tolman.
• This Is a True Story (HD, 28 minutes): In this excellent two-part documentary, the cast and crew discuss the freedom of television, the surprisingly long history of the project, adapting the Coen Brothers' film (with their blessing), the elements of the script and series that drew them to the show, striking the proper tone, honoring the past while pressing on toward the future, creating new characters to inhabit an already established story, shooting in Calgary, and much more.
• Greetings from Bemidji (HD, 17 minutes): "Siberia with family restaurants..." Hawley and the cast talk about a number of topics, including key locations in Fargo's Bemidji, nailing the Minnesota accent (with a very British Martin Freeman), cursing without cursing, casting and playing Lester, and other somewhat random bits and pieces.
• Shades of Green (HD/SD, 15 minutes): This slightly weird and weirdly engaging featurette focuses on Lorne Malvo, creating a hitman steeped in ambiguity and mystery, Thorton's performance, his hair, make-up and costuming, and his presence, spoken and unspoken. Also covered, Adam Goldberg and Russell Harvard's killers, their snowy encounter with Malvo, and the use of the wolf near the end of the season.
• Deleted Scenes (HD): All three discs offer deleted scenes.

Fargo: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fargo isn't just one of the best new shows on television, it's one of the best shows... period. More a 10-hour film than a traditional crime drama series, it excels in every area, from casting to writing to direction, performances, cinematography, music and beyond. It isn't beholden to the rules of TV, yet encapsulates everything that allows modern television to be the boundless creator's sandbox it is. Fox's Blu-ray edition of Fargo's first season is one of the best TV releases of the year too. With a stunning video presentation, terrific DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, and several revealing special features, it's as must-have as they come. Skip this one and you'll only be doing yourself a disservice.