Fargo (1996) is a neo noir black comedy crime thriller that stars Frances McDormand as a pregnant Minnesota police chief investigating a series of homicides resulting from a botched kidnapping scheme. The opening sequence uses stylistic elements common to neo noir films like obscured camerawork in snowy landscapes and low key color tones to set the tone. Analysis of the opening found it establishes a sense of mystery through obscured actions and builds tension through emotive music to engage the audience.

1. By Michael Elson

2. Fargo (1996) is a neo noir black comedy crime
thriller, It stars Frances McDormand as a
pregnant Minnesota police chief investigating
roadside homicides that ensue after a struggling
car salesman (William H. Macy) hires two
criminals (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to
kidnap his wife in order to extort a hefty ransom
from his wealthy father-in-law (Harve Presnell).

3. At the start of this sequence an intertitle tells the audience
that the events about to be told are “True”, this supports the
idea of Cognitive needs (uses and gratifications), that the
audience want to learn about the true events so keep
watching.
The typeface used for the opening credits of F A R G O
is Myriad which is bold and captures the viewers attention as it
heavily contrasts with the emptiness of the snow behind it.
This evokes a sense of drama and may appeal to males the
primary target audience.

4. At 1:10 it is clear that the actions of the scene are being obscured by
snow or fog making the events mysterious and the viewer wants to learn
more about what's going on, this compliments Barthes theory of
hermeneutic code as we are seeing an action (a car being driven) and
want to know where it is going who is in it etc. This is reflected
throughout the rest of the film too as it is a detective story.
Throughout the opening sequence a series of shots are cut together to
track the car and remain in constant deep focus though our vision is
obscured which is stereotypically found in neo-noir films.
Also the sign posts are used to create a motif of bars/ frames which is
common in neo-noir films.

5. Throughout low key tones of brown white and black are used
reminiscent of film noir’s and early neo noirs.
At 2:56 we finally see a fairly urban setting and it is at night setting the
tone as a neo noir film as this is extremely stereotypical of one.
The setting also sets a bleak tone and is symbolic of isolation (Barthes
semantic code), possibly towards the antagonists of the film.
Finally the emotive and powerful music that builds up could be
comparative to an epic and the audience know something dramatic will
happen so it again appeals to their affective and tension release needs.
(uses and grats. theory)

6. There are no Dutch angles, cynical protagonist, unreliable
narrator, first person voice over, industrial backgrounds, or
reflections in the intro which are typical of neo noir.
However later on in the film there are themes of a Femme
Fatale, eroticism, a complex plot, accusation and betrayal, a
protagonist with a personal code, violence and crime being used
metaphorically and more scenes at night.
Unlike most films of the genre Fargo mixes humour in with drama
and mystery to make it a more enjoyable experience. It also
features an everyday hegemonic female cop that arguably isn't
particularly lethal or sexually attractive to the audience but is still
a strong female character.