DVD and Blue-ray film reviews: From Fargo to Goldfinger

Everything about Fargo works, from the harsh setting to the dry, witty writing

Fargo staring Martin Freeman (MGM)

Fargo: Season 1 (15) various directors DVD/Blu-ray. 550mins

“Salesmen make their own wins,” snipes Lester’s aggrieved wife, but the Minnesotan life-insurance salesman is more concerned with the sound the washing machine’s making. The hammer he uses to fix it will be used for a more savage purpose in Noah Hawley’s gripping take on the Coen Brothers’ 1996 masterpiece. Martin Freeman’s Lester is a failure, bullied by his wife, brother and his old school bully until he (sort of) hires Billy Bob Thornton’s warped hitman to expunge some of his problems. It’s not likely to work out well, and Allison Tolman’s compassionate copper Molly is on his tail. Everything about this 10-parter works, from the cold, harsh setting to the dry, witty writing.

*****

Goldfinger: 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Steelbook (PG) Guy Hamilton DVD/Blu-ray. 105mins

Bond: “Do you expect me to talk?”; Goldfinger: “No, Mr Bond, I expect you to die.” The 1964 007 adventure, the third in the series, remains the finest of the bunch, with the best henchman (Oddjob), the feistiest Bond girl (Honor Blackman’s Pussy Galore), the finest motor (Aston Martin DB5) and the most rousing theme song, by Shirley Bassey. Gert Fröbe plays the supervillain who intends to raid Fort Knox for its gold along with his army of minions and the bowler-hatted Oddjob. Deliciously entertaining.

*****

Electra Glide in Blue (15) James William Guercio DVD/Blu-ray. 108mins

“I can’t spend everyday on a motorcycle out there in the desert getting heatstroke,” maintains Robert Blake’s cop on a bike in James William Guercio’s cult black comedy from 1973. Longing to work in homicide, he gets a chance when he stumbles on a suspicious suicide. He accompanies a racist detective and it all ends badly, as things often did in the 1970s. Every frame of this distinctive film is beautifully crafted, especially the shots of the Arizona desert, a clear influence on Ridley Scott’s Thelma and Louise.

****

Before the Winter Chill (15) Philippe Claudel DVD/Blu-ray. 103mins

Kristin Scott Thomas has forged an impressive career in French cinema, but this reunion with Philippe Claudel (he also directed I’ve Loved You So Long) is a little less successful. She’s still the best thing about the psychological thriller, playing the worried, bored wife of an overworked neurosurgeon (Daniel Auteuil) who seems to be spending too much time with a Moroccan beauty (Leïla Bekhti) half his age. Tasteful and elegant, it lacks bite or tension.

**

American Interior (12) Dylan Goch DVD/Blu-ray. 92mins

The Super Furry Animals’ Gruff Rhys focuses his wilfully oddball gaze on John Evans, a Snowdonian farmhand who, in 1792, travelled to America in search of a lost tribe of Welsh-speaking Native Americans. We witness the droll musician explain Evans’s motivations, via PowerPoint and a puppet, on a tour of the States. The audiences are remarkably tolerant of this niche slice of ancestry.

**