‘Masterpiece of Shakespearean proportions’ leaving Netflix in a week | Films | Entertainment

Fans of Netflix only have one week remaining to watch ‘one of the best movies ever made’.

The streaming giant’s extensive catalogue is changing every single day with new releases and classic titles becoming available as part of its diverse library. Unfortunately, this means that sometimes select titles are also withdrawn from the service for various reasons.

Largely, it’s due to how long the company have the rights to make it available to stream as part of their subscription service. Unfortunately, this month there are a number of significant films and shows that face a limited lifespan on Netflix.

That includes the crime thriller classic Fargo. Written and directed by the Coen brothers, the film originally released back in 1996.

It is frequently cited as one of the finest films the acclaimed filmmaker siblings made together alongside No Country For Old Men, The Big Lebowski and Raising Arizona, reports the Mirror.

Billed as a reality-based crime drama, the brothers based the script and premise on an actual criminal case but wrote a fictional story around it, which includes changing all the names of the people involved.

According to its synopsis, the tale is set in Minnesota in 1987, where car salesman Jerry Lundegaard finds himself so desperate for money after getting deep in debt, he hires two thugs to kidnap his own wife. He intends to collect the ransom for her himself from her wealthy father, whilst giving the criminals a cut.

However, the scheme unravels when the criminals shoot a state trooper. This prompts police chief Marge Gunderson, who is seven months pregnant, to launch an investigation.

Frances McDormand secured an Oscar for her portrayal of Marge Gunderson. Meanwhile, William H Macy received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor and the Coens claimed Best Original Screenplay.

It subsequently spawned an anthology series which ran from 2014 until 2024. Boasting an impressive 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, critics and audiences alike continue to declare it essential viewing for any cinema enthusiast.

One fan characterised it online as “a masterpiece of Shakesperean proportions.” Whilst another commented: “One of the greatest movies ever made.”

Someone else concurred: “A true Coen masterpiece. A funny crime movie. Frances McDormand is brilliant however all acting performances are of a high level. This is one to watch several times and it never gets dull.”

Whilst one person remarked: “A masterpiece in every way. Every character fits like a peg in the right hole.”

Another added: “Fargo is flawless. Probably the last American Film masterpiece of the Twentieth Century and the last 25 years. Highly original and imaginative it is a depressing tale told in a dark comic style with flesh and blood characters intricately and smoothly connected with dialog and plot twists all brilliantly conceived by the brothers Coen.”

Fargo is streaming on Netflix until March 17