I'd never actually watched this, and going in, I thought the movie was about William H. Macy's character hiring two guys to kill his wife, who was the sheriff, played by Frances McDormand. Don't know how I got that idea, but that was my impression.
So actually Macy hires Steve Buscemi and Peter Stromare to kidnap his wife to hold for ransom, and they end up killing some other people along the way, and that's how Frances McDormand gets brought in, investigating these killings near her town.
And everyone other than her is as much of a fuck-up as I'd always heard. Macy's a putz trying to run a financial shell game so he can build a freaking parking lot, and he couldn't get his father-in-law to loan him the money. He loses control of the situation almost immediately, if he ever had any control to begin with. Buscemi runs his mouth constantly, but always makes things worse by doing so. He can't help himself.
Why argue with the parking attendant guy over $4? Why argue with Stromare over paying him half the value of the car, when he knows there's a briefcase with another $920.000 waiting for him? Because he's having a bad day, due to his own stupidity, and he can't help himself. Stromare actually mostly keeps his cool, but goes to violence far too easily, which adds to the body count and just makes things.
One thing I wasn't clear on was why Buscemi's character was there at all. Shep only got Macy in contact with Stromare, and doesn't even know who Buscemi's character is. And he and Stromare don't seem to be pals or anything, so I'm not sure how he got into this.
I didn't really understand the point of the subplot about Mike Yanagita. He wants to reconnect with the sheriff, but she's faithful to her husband - them being a happy and supportive couple was very sweet - and he lies about having married one of their old school acquaintances and her dying of leukemia? I guess it's meant to mean he's another person unhappy with his lot in life and grasping desperately for what he thinks will improve it. Like Macy, who wants to be a success on his terms, feel in control, even as he's trying to both beg and bilk his father-in-law out of a lot of cash. Or Buscemi and Stromare, who want money and in Buscemi's case, probably respect or something too.
And then there's the sheriff, who sounds like a yokel, but thinks calmly and clearly. Doesn't get stressed, doesn't get flustered. She just moves forward methodically, following leads, asking questions, and then pulls everything together. I'm not sure whether these guys being complete idiots makes that easier or harder. Probably easier since they leave trails and clues everywhere, but on the other hand, can you operate your case under the assumption the criminals you're pursuing are the dumbest people on the planet?
5 comments:
When they announced the TV series, I was hoping it would be the continuing adventures of the sheriff, because I would watch the heck out of that. Alas, no.
I've never watched the show either, so I kinda wondered if it was about her investigating a string of murders, but it seemed like some period piece thing. Like Deadwood, but in the 1930s?
Ah, I've just looked it up and it's an anthology series set in the same universe as the film, with each series set in a different time and place.
So maybe I will get that series about the sheriff after all.
It's been a long time since I watched the film, but I remember it fondly. The scene with the woodchipper still sticks in my head.
I watched the first season of the series and enjoyed it; same sort of slow, methodical pace as the film where stuff just goes wrong... and wrong... and wrong for the characters, particularly Martin Freeman's. Worth a watch, I'd say.
kelvin: Ah, that's kind of a curious approach to take. I'm not sure I've ever gotten into an anthology TV show.
Gary: I kept waiting for the wood chipper scene, because I figured it would happen closer to the midpoint. Be the sign that things have officially gone off the rails.
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