Product Description

Studio: Tcfhe/mgm Release Date: 05/12/2009 Run time: 125 minutes Rating: Pg

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #771 in DVD
• Brand: TCFHE/MGM
• Released on: 2009-05-12
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 98 minutes

Features

• Nominated* for seven Oscars® and winner of two, this darkly amusing thriller combines a first-rate cast, "a dazzling mix of mirth and malice" (Rolling Stone) and a bizarre kidnapping plot that unravels the Midwest like never before. Starring Frances McDormand, William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi, Fargo is a brilliant tour de force from the creators of Raising Arizona and O Brother, Wher

Customer Reviews

The grain is supposed to be there.
This looks great. Some reviewers seem to miss the point. FILM of this age has grain in it. Blu-ray should give you the experience of watching FILM. If you are a fan of actually watching movies in a good theater feel safe buying this.

A great movie that looks even better. Nicely done for Blu-Ray debut.
When it comes to Fargo or any other movie by Joel and Ethan Coen, you either love them or hate them. I myself love their unique style and pacing, starting with Blood Simple back in 1984. This movie from 1996 brought them into the spotlight with many oscar nominations.

The picture is super nice. This movie has very nice, high level of natural grain. It looks very clean and sharp, while maintaining a nice cinema look. The thing that stands out most on this title is the great detail in the outdoor landscapes. The snowy landscape looks so vivid and sharp. The whites are super clean without any blooming. So much detail that you may not have noticed on the standard dvd. Much like No Country For Old Men, it is a great looking movie. I cant say that it looks as good, but it is in the same ballpark, though that mat be out in left field! This movie is 12 years old to be fair. The night time scenes look nice and sharp also. You wont miss anything. The blacks are deep and stable. This movie has so much vivid color to it. It really makes this movie standout when compared to the standard dvd special edition. The closeups have great intracate detail. The skintones are right on the money as well. One thing that really amazed me is just how rough these actors complections really look! Man! The picture has been cleaned up and has little to no damage or blemishes on the film itself, except the first few minutes with the opening credits. It appears that MGM has taken good care of this movie. The picture does have that 3 dimentional pop that makes the title worth owning. Everything is in focus and appears to be a fresh transfer. Everything from the facial details to the big snowy plains make this title really stand out. Picture is a 9 out of 10. A " B+ to A-" would be a fair grade on picture.

The audio track on this movie is great. I know that many people will wonder why I would give this movie an A for audio on a somewhat slow paced drama. It just sounds good! While there are not many action scenes or shootouts, this movie does have a very good soundtrack. The voices are nice and clean without any distractions. The volume is loud also. While most of the sound is coming from the center/front speakers. The rear speaker kick in to give some great effects now and then. The subwoofer does not get a ton of use however. There were a few scenes that used the full surround system, but for the most part it was the front 3. The most important part is that it made the best from what it has to offer. If you are expecting the soundtrack from Ironman, you will be disappointed. Overall grade for audio would be another " B+ to A- ".

There are some extras for those who are interested. Commentaries, trivia, trailer, Tv spots, making of featurette also. It is BD live, but I did not use this feature.

Overall grade should be a B+ at the lowest, to an A- at best, or around 9 out of 10. Well worth the $19.99 if you liked this movie. Blows away the standard dvd. I know, I had several of those past releases. MGM did a great job on this one. While the movie is not perfect, this Blu-Ray title is far ahead of any past releases. Giving this move a 5 out of 5 was tough. While a 4.5 would be a perfect grade from me, that is not an option. So, one must decide which side of the fence it falls on. For me...the upgrade from the last two standard dvd's pushed it to the 5 mark. Remember one thing though, while Ironman looks and sounds a 5 out of 5, that does not mean that this movie looks and sounds as good. You cant compare apples to oranges!

You betcha!
Having owned Fargo both on laserdisc and DVD, watching the Blu-ray transfer projected onto a 200 inch screen is like experiencing the film for the first time at the cinema. If not reference quality (this was a low-budget, independant production), the picture and detail are vastly improved compared to any previous home video presentation - the blood really gushes out of the screen. One can now actually see all the unsavoury goings-on in all the murky interior scenes. There is a lot of film grain visible, so thankfully little or no digital noise reduction applied here. The aspect ratio and framing are correct and the sound and dialogue are much clearer than on the very thin-sounding DVD. There are minor edge-enhancement gripes, as other reviewers have pointed out: halos around black objects placed against white backgrounds (see the opening titles, or the lamp posts in Gunderson's car lot) - but this shouldn't prevent any film fanatic from shredding the DVD in the wood-chipper and upgrading to this version.