Fargo

199698 minutesR

5.7

Arcplot Score

📝 Unconventional

Unverified

⭐ 8.1IMDb

🍅 94%Rotten Tomatoes

Ⓜ️ 88/100Metacritic

🎬 7.9TMDb

📊 5.9Popularity

🏆Won 2 Oscars. 84 wins & 58 nominations total

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Directed by: Coen Brothers

Jerry works in his father-in-law's car dealership and has gotten himself in financial problems. He tries various schemes to come up with money needed for a reason that is never really explained. It has to be assumed that his huge embezzlement of money from the dealership is about to be discovered by father-in-law. When all else falls through, plans he set in motion earlier for two men to kidnap his wife for ransom to be paid by her wealthy father (who doesn't seem to have the time of day for son-in-law). From the moment of the kidnapping, things go wrong and what was supposed to be a non-violent affair turns bloody with more blood added by the minute. Jerry is upset at the bloodshed, which turns loose a pregnant sheriff from Brainerd, MN who is tenacious in attempting to solve the three murders in her jurisdiction.

Box Office

Budget:$7.0M

Revenue:$60.6M

Profit:$53.6M

Arcplot Score Breakdown

Beat Timing Precision7.1/10

Emotional Arc Impact8/10

Thematic Consistency2/10

Overall Score5.7/10

Beat Sheet

15 plot points

Opening Image

1 min

Theme Stated

5 min

Set-Up

10 min

Catalyst

18 min

Debate

25 min

Break Into Two

32 min

B Story

40 min

Fun and Games

50 min

Midpoint

60 min

Bad Guys Close In

70 min

All Is Lost

80 min

Dark Night of the Soul

85 min

Break Into Three

90 min

Finale

95 min

Final Image

97 min

Emotional Arc

+100-10

Plot Points

Opening Image

1 min

Snowy Minnesota. Jerry Lundegaard introducing himself and desperate for money. Crime world and small-town tension established.

Theme Stated

5 min

Jerry: "I need some quick money." Greed, desperation, morality.

Set-Up

10 min

Jerry hires two criminals to kidnap his wife. Marge Gunderson investigating small-town crime. Contrast of innocence and corruption.

Catalyst

18 min

First murder committed. Stakes rise. Law enforcement activated.

Debate

25 min

Criminals losing control. Jerry panicking. Morality vs survival. Who will pay the price?

Break Into Two

32 min

Marge closes in. Chaos intensifies. Criminal actions unravel.

B Story

40 min

Marge and her husband Norm provide warmth and moral compass.

Fun and Games

50 min

Criminals killing more than expected. Darkly comedic tone.

Midpoint

60 min

Marge uncovers crucial evidence. Jerry cornered. False victory for criminals gone.

#10

Bad Guys Close In

70 min

Criminals panic. Bodies discovered. Tension escalates.

#11

All Is Lost

80 min

Jerry fully exposed. Criminal plans collapsing.

#12

Dark Night of the Soul

85 min

Desperation, fear, moral reckoning.

#13

Break Into Three

90 min

Marge captures criminals. Jerry faces consequences.

#14

Finale

95 min

Justice served. Crime thwarted. Moral order restored.

#15

Final Image

97 min

Marge smiling in snow. Lighthearted hope after dark events.