“A lot can happen in the middle of nowhere.” So asserts the well-received promotional tag for Fargo, which has accompanied the film's propitious commercial and critical career from its 1996 theatrical release through its later video incarnation.

But while Fargo indeed takes place in the middle of nowhere – if one accepts the notion that Minnesota and North Dakota are thus accurately described – it was clearly not conceptualized there. Joel and Ethan Coen had written, directed, and produced six feature films during the eleven preceding years, and as of early 2003 they have completed three more. Fargo reflects, refracts, and refines various thematic and stylistic ideas that have preoccupied the brothers throughout this period. To appreciate Fargo, one must take into account the context in which it was made – a multifaceted context that encompasses not only the picture's production history, but also a set of social and cinematic notions deployed by the Coens with a vigor and consistency that make this grim comedy one of their most fully realized achievements, even though it encapsulates other qualities that many critics rightly find problematic.

The comparatively small scale and proudly monochromatic look of Fargo have been described as outgrowths of the fact that this movie went into production at a ticklish time in the Coens' career.