《冰血暴》 風雪中沉睡的祕密

True Detective and Breaking Bad are the most recent examples of television shows that remind us there is a need for storytelling that aims a bit higher with its intentions. In Breaking Bad we watch as a humble underdog transforms into a truly despicable evil, and in True Detective we watch as an entire region is folded into a criminal darkness. These are shows that invite the audience to read below the surface, as that’s where their most compelling thematic material takes form.

電視劇也要能講出意義深刻的故事。今年熱播的《真探》和《絕命毒師》就是兩部典範之作。在《絕命毒師》裏，我們看到卑微的失敗者搖身一變，成了一個地地道道的卑鄙惡人。在《真探》中，我們看到整個地區都被犯罪的黑暗籠罩。這些劇想要讓觀衆透過表象看到更深層次的主題，而這）纔是最吸引人之處。

Fargo, which plays out in the same snow-swept universe as Joel and Ethan Coen’s excellent movie of the same name, is the latest television show to attempt to set the storytelling bar higher. And while the show more than succeeds at being entertaining, it never quite reaches the same highs as its spiritual predecessor.

《冰血暴》又是一部試圖刷新講故事水平的最新熱播美劇。該劇由（1996年）喬爾?科恩與伊桑?科恩執導的傑出同名電影改編，劇中的故事同樣發生在冰天雪地之中。雖然在娛樂性上，該劇更爲成功，但相較於電影原作，卻難以望其項背。

The story revolves around Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman), a clumsy sad sack who’s spent his entire life turning the other cheek not in bravery, but in cowardice. His wife hates him, his brother is embarrassed of him, and he still can’t manage to stand up to the man who has been bullying him since high school. That is until a chance encounter with the mysterious contract killer Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) emboldens Nygaard to take charge of his life. “Your problem is you spent your whole life thinking there are rules — there aren’t,” Malvo tells Nygaard.

故事圍繞着男主人公萊斯特?尼加德（馬丁?弗里曼 飾）展開：笨手笨腳的“屌絲男”尼加德一生性格懦弱，爲人膽小。妻子討厭他，兄弟以他爲恥，甚至自己都無法正面對抗從高中時就一直欺負他的人。直到，一個偶然的機會，尼加德遇到了神祕的契約殺手洛恩?馬爾沃（比利?鮑伯?鬆頓 飾），他鼓勵尼加德爲自己的人生做主。馬爾沃對尼加德說，“你的問題在於，浪費了一輩子的時間想要遵守規則，實際上哪有什麼規則。”

Some men can’t function properly without rules though, and in a feverish fit of pride, Nygaard hammers his wife to death. Nygaard’s actions invite an investigation by Deputy Solverson (Allison Tolman), the only detective on the police force smart enough to see a connection between the meek Nygaard and the maniacal Malvo. From there, the story branches off into various subplots.

然而，一些人沒有了規則就沒法正常生活，於是在一次自尊心爆發之後，尼加德竟用錘子殺死了自己的妻子。尼加德的行爲引起了警員薩爾沃森（艾莉森?托爾曼 飾）的注意，薩爾沃森開始着手調查。而聰明的薩爾沃森也成爲當地警察中唯一一個發現溫順的尼加德與瘋狂的馬爾沃之間聯繫的人。自此，故事的各條副線情節也全面展開。

Fargo is a show about individuals and how they cope with their stations in life. Nygaard is stuck at the bottom, but in truth, that’s the place he’s earned. Solverson is stuck underneath an incompetent police chief who willfully denies her genius. Malvo, on the other hand, has completely abandoned his station altogether, choosing to write his own rules wherever he goes.

《冰血暴》講述了每個個體如何面對自己人生定位的故事。尼加德生活在最底層，而事實上，這正是他自己選擇的結果。薩爾沃森則被迫在一個毫無能力、還喜歡鄙視她才能的警察局長手下做事，無法施展拳腳。與其相反，馬爾沃則完全拋開社會地位的束縛，不論在哪兒都爲自己做主。

Fargo is the kind of story you’d expect to unfold in a world created by the Coen Brothers (both of whom serve as executive producers on the show). And while it’s not the next great television show, it’s certainly a thrilling watch.

科恩兄弟再度操刀（均擔當執行製片）的《冰血暴》是一部值得期待之作。它也許不會躋身偉大電視劇之列，但觀劇過程一定會令你驚心動魄。