Fargo (1996)
A lot can happen in the middle of nowhere.
Jerry Lundegaard is a small-town Minnesota car salesman deeply in debt and willing to do almost anything to get out. Police chief Marge Gunderson discovers a string of violent crimes as Jerry's schemes spiral out of control.
| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 8 March 1996 |
| Genre | Crime, Drama, Thriller |
| Director | Joel Coen |
| Starring | Frances McDormand, William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi |
| Runtime | 98 min |
| Rated | R |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 8.8/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 94% · Metacritic 88/100 · IMDb 8.1/10 · TMDB users 7.8/10 |
| Budget | $7 million |
| Box office | $61 million worldwide |
Where to watch Fargo
Fargo is streaming on Fubo in the US.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 19 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
Where to watch Fargo in 58 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Albania | Max |
| Algeria | Netflix |
| Australia | Netflix $20.99 AUD, ARD/ZDF |
| Austria | Canal+, Max €11.99 |
| Bahrain | Netflix |
| Belgium | NRK |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | Max |
| Bulgaria | Max |
| Canada | Netflix $18.99 CAD |
| Croatia | Max |
| Cyprus | Netflix €12.49 |
| Czechia | Max |
| Denmark | Max 119 kr DKK |
| Egypt | Netflix E£170 |
| Fiji | Netflix |
| Finland | Max €10.99 |
| France | Canal+ €19.99 |
| Germany | Max €11.99 |
| Hong Kong | Netflix HK$88 |
| Hungary | Max |
| Indonesia | Netflix Rp120000 |
| Iraq | Netflix |
| Israel | Netflix ₪53.00 |
| Japan | Netflix ¥1590 JPY, U-NEXT ¥2189 JPY |
| Jordan | Netflix |
| Kuwait | Netflix |
| Lebanon | Netflix |
| Libya | Netflix |
| Liechtenstein | Max |
| Luxembourg | Max |
| Malaysia | Netflix RM49.90 |
| Moldova | Max |
| Montenegro | Max |
| Morocco | Netflix |
| New Zealand | Netflix $25.99 NZD |
| North Macedonia | Max |
| Norway | Max 89 kr NOK |
| Oman | Netflix |
| Pakistan | Netflix Rs900 |
| Palestinian Territories | Netflix |
| Philippines | Netflix ₱449 |
| Poland | Max 29.99 zł |
| Qatar | Netflix QR46.00 |
| Romania | Max |
| Saudi Arabia | Netflix ﷼43.00 |
| Serbia | Max |
| Singapore | Netflix $22.98 SGD |
| Slovakia | Max |
| Slovenia | Max |
| South Korea | Netflix ₩13500 |
| Sweden | Max 149 kr SEK |
| Switzerland | Canal+, Max CHF12.90 |
| Taiwan | Netflix NT$380 |
| Thailand | Netflix ฿349 |
| Tunisia | Netflix |
| Türkiye | Netflix ₺289.99, Max |
| United Arab Emirates | Netflix AED49.00 |
| Yemen | Netflix |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
Fargo is a 1996 crime thriller that runs 98 minutes, a duration that feels precise for a story about men trying to kill each other in the snow. Joel Coen directs with a cold, detached eye, letting the absurdity of the violence speak for itself. The tone is dry, the landscape is vast, and the stakes are personal in a way that feels uncomfortably real. It is a film where the quiet moments hurt more than the loud ones.
What the critics said
The numbers look good. Rotten Tomatoes reports a 94% approval rating as of January 2026, while Metacritic scores it 88 out of 100. That is a strong showing for a movie about a kidnapping that goes wrong in the snow. It earned universal acclaim from the 26 critics polled by Metacritic.
Not everyone was charmed. Richard Corliss of The Time found the accents distracting. He called it a step back from the Coens' earlier visual flair. His take: "without the cinematic elan." Others disagreed. Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly found it "dizzily rich, witty, and satisfying." She saw the style as a feature, not a bug. The film holds its ground as a dark comedy that knows exactly how much ice it needs.
How it did with audiences
Fargo started with a $7 million budget and collected $25 million in the United States. Worldwide, the total hit $61 million. That is not a blockbuster, but it is a profitable one. On TMDB, users give it a 7.8 out of 10. IMDb, using a weighted average, rates it 8.1 out of 10 as of May 2026.
Awards
Fargo swept 7 awards from 7 nominations. Frances McDormand took the Best Actress Oscar, and Joel Coen collected the writing statuettes. Critics in London, New York, and Dallas named it the best film of 1996. A perfect 100% win rate, which is rarer than it sounds.
What came next for the cast
Frances McDormand moved from Raising Arizona to Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, while William H. Macy traded ER for Room. Steve Buscemi went from Pulp Fiction to The Big Lebowski. Peter Stormare shifted from Fanny and Alexander to John Wick: Chapter 2. The credits list what followed, not why. Trajectories rarely move in straight lines.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Fargo.
Sources
- Fargo on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q222720 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Fargo (1996 film)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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