9 Famous Movie Facts (That Were Never Actually True)

9. Fargo Is Based On A True Story

Fargo is an entirely fictional story, straight from the twisted minds of the Coen Brothers. According to urban legend, this didn't stop one young Japanese woman from searching for the buried money from the film though. The 28-year-old from Tokyo reportedly froze to death, after believing that the briefcase containing $1 million was genuinely buried somewhere in North Dakota. It later emerged that the woman had actually gone to Minneapolis in a bout of depression, committing suicide with an overdose of sedatives and alcohol.

The commonly misheld belief that Fargo is non-fiction is thanks to the title card shown at the very beginning of the film. The card reads, "This is a true story. The events depicted in this film took place in Minnesota in 1987."

In reality, the Coen Brothers merely took small aspects from several true stories as inspiration. The brothers also believed that if audiences thought they were watching a true story, it makes some of the more bizarre elements easier to accept.