Frances McDormand

When Marge Gunderson speaks in Fargo (1996), Frances McDormand lets her sound cheerful without making her sound foolish. The distinction matters in a crime film where violence and comedy sit so close together. Her pregnant police chief is competent and kind, and neither quality is treated as an impediment to being funny. We felt ourselves relax whenever she spoke, because her straightforward delivery offered some reassurance amid the criminal disorder.

Joel and Ethan Coen get something valuable from her here: a character whose speech is amusing but whose judgement deserves respect. McDormand leaves room for laughter without letting us forget the violence, a harder task than simply playing the sensible person among fools. The reservation is that the directors sometimes enjoy the other characters’ oddness before giving them much dignity. She largely avoids that trap, but the film occasionally seems a little too pleased with its own jokes.

Her film work began as Abby in the Coens’ Blood Simple (1984), and Fargo brought her wide recognition as a lead. Supporting parts continued to matter, including Elaine Miller, the overbearing mother in Almost Famous (2000). That part makes good use of her intelligence and wit without requiring her to be agreeable. The later return to leading roles runs through Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) and Nomadland (2020), which she also produced. There is no need to treat the supporting work as time spent waiting for the proper job.

Her place in the ensemble of Sarah Polley’s Women Talking (2022), as Scarface Janz, continues that willingness to work without occupying the centre. The film’s strength is its women arguing in a hayloft, though Luc Montpellier’s drained colour makes the images less rewarding than the conversation. It would be too much to credit McDormand alone for what works there. The performance that explains our enthusiasm remains Fargo: start there, especially if crime films are not usually the evening’s choice.