Fargo is a masterpiece film, worthy of all the praise it received when it was released over a decade ago. To me it is almost a parallel story to another Coen favorite "No Country For Old Men". Both films are rich in metaphor amidst a desolate and unforgiving natural environment. Both films depict a core struggle of good versus evil, with exceptional attention paid to the subtlety of that dance. And both films show how violence snowballs (no pun intended regarding "Fargo") into more violence, and how easy it is to lose control of a situation when violence is in the mix.

The films provide insight into the incredible effort it takes to create, maintain, and contain violence. Amidst the desolate white landscape of Minnesota, as Sheriff Gunderson sits in her police car with one of the killers, she says "There's more to life than a little money, ya know. Don'tcha know that? And here ya are. And it's a beautiful day. Well. I just don't understand it.". As she finishes her thought, several squad cars and ambulances break through the complete whiteness of winter. Suddenly life and activity revolve around death. How similar this feels to how the desert of West Texas erupted into chaos all because a man picked up a briefcase of money, the product of violence.

So much energy and effort wasted in the wake of violence.