"Fargo" is, by far, the greatest movie of 1996. It is a sure-shot winner for Best Picture at the Oscars this year. Although the plot is simple and often imitated, there is something so dramatically different about the style, production and direction (by the Coen brothers) which make this movie stand out more than other films of its genre.

The dialogue is very different. There may be an extremely dramatic scene and a second later you may be laughing out loud. The characters in "Fargo" are either smarter than they appear or stupider than you think. Take the pregnant police officer, who appears not to be too smart, but is actually brilliant. The bad guys appear to be smart criminals at first but are actually very unintelligent. The dialogue really fools you. "Fargo" is a drama, suspense and comedy all intermingled to produce a sublime and fresh film, and the effects are stimulating.

The plot of "Fargo" is fairly simple. A car salesman hires two hit-men to kidnap his wife for $40,000. The men accomplish this and take her hostage. On the way to the hideout, things go very wrong. The next day, a pregnant police chief investigates to try and find them. This all builds to the suspenseful climax.

The elements that make this movie so great are the top-notch directing of the Coen brothers, the breathtaking screenplay and dialogue, vivid characterization, and superb acting. This movie is dramatic, very suspenseful and downright funny and, despite the simple plot, never boring.

"Fargo" is a dark classic movie. It emphasizes the beginning of a new style of dialogue in movie making. This movie will make you laugh, cry and terrify you until the very end. But there is really no end to the film because numerous issues about characters and certain aspects of the film remain unanswered, and make you wonder if the producers will make a sequel. You will not regret renting this movie. It is great entertainment taken to the next level.