Fargo - Renegade Cut

[@DFloyd84]

That thought has to be terrifying to any parent-to-be: "How can I raise my child in a world I don't even understand?"

[@donpedrometal351]

Derek Floyd life request Faith or confidence

[@SockMonkey007]

I think you completely misread the ending. Marge may not understand what drives these people to do terrible things "for a little bit of money" but she goes home to her husband, who did not get his dream of his painting being the new stamp (it just gets the two cent), but she comforts him and he loves her for it. They may not understand the villainous tendencies of the world but she knows she has a mate who would never do this to her. Sitting in a warm bed, watching TV until they fall asleep next to one another, Marge knows that they're doing pretty good and says as much. Its a comforting ending more than a frightening one.

[@kerplunk9292]

You cant ”misread” the ending, its just his theory.

[@davebartholome2924]

Yes, the first thing that you discover about literature and/or film as you study it is that, while all interpretations are not equal (some can be clearly off base), there can nonetheless be more than one valid interpretation. (If only one interpretation is possible, then you’re dealing with a work that is basically an entertainment rather than a work of art.) My view of this ending: there’s no question that the Coen brothers want us to feel the warmth of this relationship between these two people. But everything that has happened in the movie shows that their world is vulnerable. Horrible things happen to good people for reasons that no one can discern-and this is the world into which they are bringing a child. It’s not that the ending is bleak: the love and tenderness here is real, and it’s palpable. But the cold winds still blow outside, and no one can stop them.

[@SerMattzio]

Good points. I also think it's not so much that Marge doesn't understand _the world_ , it's that she doesn't understand the limitless cruelty and greed people are capable of wallowing in over "a little bit of money". By comparison it's comforting because her lack of understanding of that level of evil further reinforces that she is a good person and will be a good mother.

[@Thom4ES]

I learned the truth at 17....

[@Advent3546]

Ma'am I answered the darn- I'm cooperating here.

[@KingSNAFU]

I'm not going to debate you Jerry.

[@zedek_]

Love discussions on absurdism.

[@MicahBuzanANIMATION]

Fargo is truly a 10/10 film.

[@royrogers7282]

So glad you did fargo sir. You do fantastic work.

[@circlingthesquare6470]

I mostly agree with your take but I always had the impression Jerry was in deep debt, so that's why he needed the money... Yes, his family's living comfortably but maybe that's on credit and they're headed for a crunch. He doesn't want to admit it to Jeannie or (especially) Wade so he comes up with the whole scheme.

[@circlingthesquare6470]

Also not sure I agree with what you say about "insouciance." Marge's sweetness seems sincere, not just Minnesota nice. If she doesn't show distress over the trooper, couldn't it be because she's focused on piecing clues together at the time? The matter-of-fact attitude doesn't mean she's indifferent, it just shows she's a professional with a job to do (a job she turns out to be very good at) and she wants to get down to doing it, not stand around lamenting the atrocity as if that would help anything. I like this scene; it's a welcome departure from the cliche of cops pounding tables, shouting "God, it makes me sick" and getting all pointlessly emotional. It always feels condescending when you see that in most cop shows and movies--like a cheap ploy to make them more relatable to the audience. Of course WE would feel sickened by a murder scene so we want to see that the cops would too. Realistically, though, a homicide detective would have to get used to seeing horrible things like this routinely, and Marge seems to put up with it by skipping the emotions and getting down to business. But once she's bagged Grimsrud and the job is done, we DO see her get a little emotional and we see her sincerity show through. She finally has a chance to reflect on what she's seen and how sad it is: People like Grimsrud and Showalter choosing a life of violence, killing for what they can get, and commodification of everything (including human life) rather than a simpler life like hers: just honest work and devotion to loved ones. You may be right that her view of the world is too pat and simple. You may be right that she can only be so happy in her own life by ignoring how ugly and pointless and grim the world can be. But her worldview comes off looking smarter than Grimsrud's or Jerry's or Wade's, especially considering where they all ended up.

[@krashkow]

That's always been my theory as it would explain Jerry's insistence on getting the money. It's a "need" not a "want" for him and if you're in deep debt, you need money badly (especially if, say, it's debt to the kind of people who break legs). That said, the nice thing about Fargo is that it doesn't try to explain every motivation of its characters, but lets you draw conclusions through their demeanor and actions. It's a deceptively soft touch that is, in fact, a very nuanced approach to storytelling.

[@krashkow]

Right, but this can be taken as a symptom, not the core reason. People don't commit fraud for the sake of committing fraud. They commit fraud because they need the cash for some reason. Hence why we can still speculate about Jerry's motivation.

[@circlingthesquare6470]

Right... It seems like he's scrambling to get whatever he can and buy some time. So he would have faked those car sales to pay off some of the debt while he's waiting to get enough from the ransom to pay off the rest.

[@jennyr4057]

Circling the Square - i agree with your comments completely, well said

[@WhiskeyPieSometimes]

I feel like Fargo and No Country For Old Men are 2 sides of the same coin.

[@pickleneck526]

dont forget blood simple. often overlooked but dealing with the same themes.

[@banessuperbrutalmetalfunti2561]

>No Country For Old Men >sides of the same coin Nice.

[@fangsabre]

What's the most you ever lost on a coin toss, hmm?

[@caiokrakauer]

i think the first season of the fargo show really serves to show how similar they are, since its second most apparent inspiration is No Country

[@1330percy]

You read my mind !

[@84blizzle]

You do such a great job on these. Fargo is one of my favorite movies, because of it being such a random story, but you can pick it apart in so many ways and, I'd say, you covered all of it well...Great Job Leon!

[@justinstark5732]

Yay, surprising how little content on this movie I can find

[@mattkomar7622]

It's a deceptively simple film. It's pretty common for folks to misconstrue the film as just a straightforward crime drama.

[@pischpilot]

The movie and the show are too underrated, the only content I could find about them is short clips from 2014

[@joshjacks2837]

Great video. Watched Fargo earlier today and I couldn't help but to compare it with some of the themes the Coen Brothers explored in No Country for Old Men. Different characters but I see a lot of Tommy Lee Jones in Frances McDormand (and vice versa).

[@rohanrr31]

The entire time I was watching this film, I was sure there was more absurdism portrayed than I had figured out myself. You sir, laid it all out there. Brilliant analysis!

[@AlexLeyba1]

GREAT analysis man! This is one of my top 20 favorite films.

[@skullknight_5682]

another fantastic video. great work, man.

[@praiseafork4791]

Goodness, it's been forever since I've seen this one. Far as Coen Brothers flicks go, this is tied with Raising Arizona for my all-time favorite. Thanks for the video! I love your work.

[@bb1111116]

A fine video essay. I saw Jerry in "Fargo" as a more tragic figure with absurd twists. The car coating is from the factory so Jerry has no choice but to pass some of that cost to reluctant customers. My impression of Jerry's financial trouble, was that his father in law did not give him or his wife money. Jerry is not only trapped by the American dream but his father in law's contempt. The result is the debt which drives the story.

[@itjustlookslikethis]

The Tru-Coat scene is the embodiment of new car salespeople. They are the most dishonest people, bar none.

[@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat]

Nice video and I just want to add. There does seem to be subtext that Jerry is in debt for some reason, possibly because of his own personal bad investment choices.

[@curiousworld7912]

Nice tie-in to Camus - he would no doubt see this film as an excellent example of his philosophy. Well done.

[@kyleshiflet7932]

Ah jeez this was a great video

[@HotaruKara]

Renegade Cut makes an analysis of one of my favorite movies, yay!

[@jacques444]

Amazing as usual! One of my favorite films as well

[@chasegeyer3825]

This is perfect timing cause I watched the movie about a month ago and have been trying to get all caught up on the show for the finale tomorrow

[@maximc3834]

excellent analysis

[@alexsoco8777]

One of my all time favorite films. I also love the show to.

[@richcrighton3378]

I can't get enough of this show.

[@xax888servo7]

Dude I love your show, do The Lighthouse please

[@sclogse1]

Watching the scene with Steve Park and Francis, as Steve falls apart, I felt it was the heartbeat of the film. I thought of another name for it. The Almost Men.

[@nicemikeca]

nice work on this

[@nerdommeetsboy]

in first year of uni I showed this film to the guy I was seeing and he didn't like it at all safe to say we lasted a week

[@SkeletorsRightHand]

good

[@christopherwestley2455]

Damn Marcy, that cracks me up

[@SerMattzio]

Darn tootin'.

[@ty-xq7bl]

he already hit

[@Daydreamer_3322]

I get so much enjoyment from the film and the TV series, and the music is amazing. I'm really hoping the third season isn't the last either

[@fernandese]

always a great videos

[@jonp72]

Fargo is fictional, but it does have similarities to a true crime in Minnesota, the Virginia Piper kidnapping. Virginia Piper was the wife of the CEO of the investment bank Piper Jaffray. She was kidnapped in her home, and the ransom was about $1 million, but she was found alive, abandoned by the kidnappers, chained to a tree. The kidnapping is alluded to in the movie All The President's Men when Robert Redford when Bob Woodward calls Kenneth Dahlberg of Minnesota (a Republican donor whose check was found in the bank account of the Watergate burglars). When Woodward calls him the first time, Dahlberg cuts off the call quickly, because he says his neighbor's wife had just been kidnapped. That was the Virginia Piper kidnapping. I also think there is an unspoken motivation for why Jerry is doing what he's doing. He's embezzling from the car dealership. Why else would he be pulling off these penny-ante scams with GMAC and with the Tru-Coat? The way most textbook cases of embezzlement work is that you get somebody in a position of trust & eventually they justify to themselves that they can "borrow" from a source of a money that doesn't belong to them. At first, they are successful in always putting the money back before being discovered, but eventually they get to a point where they "borrow" they more than they can put back. If you pay attention, the amount of the GMAC loan ($320K) for which Jerry is falsifying the serial numbers plus the money he tries to get from Wade for getting him to invest in a parking lot ($750K) is just a little over $1 million dollars.

[@bizzarrogeorge]

Best analysis of Fargo.

[@johannahulten]

Great job!

[@רביאחר]

Good work.

[@davidkaplan2745]

In the middle of this video I get an ad with starts with, "Sometimes you just need money fast".

[@code2547]

LOL, now I feel damn :) Most of the themes you touched on flew right over my head

[@SerMattzio]

I find that shot of Grimsrud in the back of the car interesting, when he glances at the Paul Bunyan statue. Although his face remains blank and untelling, I think it's a call back to the scene where he murders Carl with the axe and it implies that he is thinking about it. It's also notable that instead of ignoring Marge like he ignored Carl, he stares at her as she talks. Perhaps Marge's innocence and her way with words has an impact even upon a monster like him? Perhaps he actually has some lingering ember of a conscience?

[@StudioMod]

I don't necessarily think that Marge was contemplating absurdism, albeit unintentionally. Having your morality and lifestyle brought into question by another's and then pondering the circumstances around this disparity isn't necessarily an example of experiencing the absurd. Absurdism isn't completely unrelated, but it's less focused on these sort of day-to-day things; Absurdism closes in more on the nature of the universe, asserting that the universe is absurd and that human beings must make their own judgements on it. Furthermore, we must determine our own actions based on these judgements. To be more succinct - human nature is more of a reaction to absurdism, and less of an example of it. At least, this is how Albert Camus frames it. Humans are a part of reality, so it's fair to push the point further, but I don't think that's intended. Regardless, it's an interesting way to look at it. Her sentiments at the end of the film definitely strike me more as an example of her reaction to reality's absurdity than when she's got Grimsrud in custody.

[@jacknewman9256]

ok, won't comment anymore, but "insuccience" is a great word. My hat's off.

[@jbot91]

There's more to life than a little bit a money. Don't ya know that?

[@tobbyhappy3572]

Yes.

[@raoulmcwenna6499]

when will the Tarkovsky reviews come?

[@Robuobu]

Is the Paul banyon statue a motif for absurdism?

[@nazikiller0164]

As a native Minnesotan, I gotta call BS on the scene where the dummies are standing around with parkas on when it's clearly nice and warm, with a puddle of water nearby. I realize the weather wasn't always cooperating during filming, but geez....Remember- it's always a nice day, no matter how cold it is, and only farmers can complain about the weather.

[@explorinjenkins349]

Right? Puddles are only around early fall or late spring. Them saying the weather turning didnt make sense. That and everyone having that really strong accent. I've met only one person that sounds like that in three decades.

[@Mike1614YT]

it's ok. people from all parts of the US are stereotyped in movies- maybe you've noticed@@explorinjenkins349

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

I had to write a essay on this film for a film class in the Film Noir chapter. Boy, wasn't that an interesting experience.

[@alexmayzlakh8004]

Hello, great video. If I may ask, what is your opinion about the TV show and the way it juggles concepts and themes from all over Coens' filmography?

[@Bradgilliswhammyman]

Albert Camus is one of the deepest writers of the 20th century, he had a facility for writing and expressing his thoughts in a way that was almost unique.

[@FrankieSmileShow]

I really havent heard much about the series on netflix so far. I imagine the extra time would let em put a lot of emphasis on the visuals of distance and loneliness etc.

[@therwfer]

The series is different and the emphasis you expect isn't there. There's quite some absurdism though. I definetely recommend it.

[@sarahwarnock2707]

Wow ty for this! I am an obsurdist and didn't even know it haha!

[@danieldougan269]

Yes, Jerry is greedy, but he's also in financial trouble, putting his house, car, etc. at risk. So he comes up with this plan out of desperation.

[@noeditbookreviews]

All for a little bit of money... Jeez what the heck were they thinkin?

[@luisjoseherrera408]

He was going crazy down there at the lake, man.

[@SRLovesPandas1]

You should analyze the first season of Fargo, since it apparently takes place in the same universe

[@Companion92]

Great video. How most of the characters act in this movie is so frustrating .

[@liviolangella2777]

Any chance of reviewing the Fargo TV series?

[@liviolangella2777]

Your show, your rules. Have you at least seen it? I think that it's very good. Basically every season is a ten episodes Coen movie.

[@johnnyringo5777]

Jerry says that he needs the money and that he can't talk about why he needs it. So it's left to interpretation. Personally I got the sense that he was involved with a loan shark to some degree which makes sense when you consider that he knew Shep was a criminal.

[@TOFKAS01]

Or he just needed the money because he wanted the money. No other reason.

[@studentmele]

I think character analysis can be more in-depth.

[@peterolbrisch8970]

Lost in all this is the fact that little snot nosed Scotty has to live with Jerry's parents afterwards. No more MacDonalds for him. ( We all know what they do there )

[@OnsideHaddock72]

I heard the best season is season 2 and thats the only one you have to watch, idk tho i never seen it

[@newyorkslim2001]

shouldn't give it all away like this

[@jacknewman9256]

Camus is full of dingly when viewed in context of this film. In fact, Camus' self-elite status is kind of disgusting in today's terms and degenerates an otherwise good review. Minor point, great analysis by you.

[@agnivabanerjee3983]

Ok

[@joeguzman3558]

Shot a running suspect on the back ????

[@luisjoseherrera408]

Yeah

[@logantownsend3710]

Only he didn’t use the word jerk

[@adamlane6453]

What the heck do ya mean!?

[@keithsmith127]

The Right Wing Nut Job who loves your videos! Keep it up people need to think regardless if we agree on details.

[@rumourhats]

insouciance - great word.

[@teddywinroth]

you´re a genius

[@CallMeCatalin]

On Minnesota nice: it’s essentially a culture of backhanded nicety that really is just a mask to make sure others don’t see you as being rude. As someone from Minnesota with very little patience for those that can’t speak plainly or just show their hands rather than hiding them close to their chest so as to backstab me later, I find this practice distressing and tiring.

[@chrissmith3668]

Ahhhhh what the Christ

[@RichardHannay]

I tried to like this movie... I reallly did... But it just didn't click with me. :(

[@Seadog..C5]

Not a very good analogy

[@Bradgilliswhammyman]

amazing film.