Fargo (1996) – Filming Locations
Crime / Drama / Thriller · Directed by Joel Coen · Starring William H. Macy, Frances McDormand
Jerry, a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt... but he's got a plan. He's going to hire two thugs to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. It's going to be a snap and nobody's going to get hurt... until people start dying. Enter Police Chief Marge, a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing - and extremely pregnant - investigator who'll stop at nothing to get her man. And if you think her small-time investigative skills will give the crooks a run for their ransom... you betcha!
Where was Fargo filmed?
- Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, Minneapolis – Jerry Lundegaard meets with Carl Showalter and Gaear Grimsrud to discuss the kidnapping plan. The airport serves as the meeting point where the criminal plot is hatched, establishing the Minnesota setting and the mundane backdrop to extraordinary crime
- St. Paul, Minnesota, United States, St. Paul – Police investigation scenes and establishing shots of the twin cities during winter. St. Paul and Minneapolis serve as the primary urban setting for the investigation of the kidnapping, with snow-covered streets defining the film's visual identity
- Brainerd, Minnesota, United States, Brainerd – Carl and Gaear dispose of Carl's car and the kidnapping plot unfolds in this small Minnesota town. This small Midwestern town represents the remote, frozen landscape where the criminal plot spirals into violence and where key plot developments occur
- Fargo, North Dakota, United States, Fargo – Setting for the kidnapping ransom and final confrontation scenes. Though the film is titled after this North Dakota city, it represents the bleak, snowy landscape where the criminal scheme reaches its climax
- Stillwater, Minnesota, United States, Stillwater – Police investigation scenes and establishing shots of the river town setting. This charming river town serves as a location for scenes showing the contrast between the ordinary Midwestern landscape and the violent crimes taking place within it