Darkly funny Coen Brothers classic movie now streaming for free on Amazon Freevee

Frances McDormand in Fargo
Frances McDormand in Fargo (Image credit: Polygram/Moviestore Collection Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo)

In need of something good to watch tonight? Well, you can stream the Oscar-winning Coen Brothers movie Fargo for free online on Amazon Freevee, easily one of the best free movies online right now.

Released in 1996, Fargo tells the supposedly true story (in reality, it isn't) of a series of inept crimes that comes to the attention of the pregnant Minnesota police chief Marge Gunderson (France McDormand), who senses that something funny is going on and decides to pull the thread, leading to a big bloody mess. Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, the dark comedy/crime story also stars William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, John Carroll Lynch and Harve Presnell.

The movie was initially reviewed as one of the best of 1996 and earned seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, winning two: Best Actress for McDormand and Best Original Screenplay for the Coen Brothers. It continues to be seen as one of the best movies of the Coen Brothers' career and has even inspired the spinoff TV series Fargo, though that is an anthology series and not directly related to the story or characters or the movie.

In my opinion, Fargo really is the Coen Brothers movie that shows off all of their best qualities as filmmakers. If you're a fan of their more wacky movies like Raising Arizona or Burn After Reading, Fargo features plenty of memorably off-kilter characters that will get you laughing, from the bumbling Jerry Lundegaard to Steve Buscemi's Carl Showalter. If you tend to like more of their darker fare (ie No Country for Old Men, Blood Simple), Fargo's central crime devolves into a stark look at people's greed and cruelty (that final scene between McDormand and Stormare is a stunner).

With Fargo streaming on Amazon Freevee, it's easier than ever to watch. You don't need to have an account, you simply can access it through the Freevee app on smart TVs or connected devices. Even better news, if Freevee isn't your preferred free, ad-supported streaming service, Fargo is also available on Tubi, Pluto TV and The Roku Channel, take your pick.

So whether it's the first time or the first time in a long time, we highly recommend that you watch Fargo while it’s available for free online.

Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.