Fargo (1996)
Sadly these days, if you want to know something’s pop culture influence, just count how many spinoffs, remakes and adaptations it has. Fargo has been spun off into FX’s anthology series Fargo (which is great, don’t get me wrong) as solid proof that this is the Coen Brothers film most firmly entrenched in pop culture. That, and all the wood chipper jokes.
The black comedy set in the snowy, bleak states of North Dakota and Minnesota starts with a small town money scam and kidnapping attempt escalate into multiple murders with hired killers, corrupt businessmen and ordinary people caught in the middle. It’s darkly hilarious, with more laughs than just the accents, and one of the greatest all-time cop protagonists in Marge Gunderman (Frances McDormand).