the first thing you notice about this movie is that it 's cold .
placed in minnesota and north dakota during the winter , many of the scenes take place outside with long scenes of snow - covered ground against a background of white .
just what we need as bloomington struggles out of the endless long cold night .
as with most coen brothers films , this features outlandish characters in nefarious schemes , each of which works out in the oddest way possible .
a car salesman hires a couple of hoods to kidnap his wife so that he can collect the ransom from her father .
along the way everything that can possibly go wrong does .
in brief scenes of vicious violence , people get shot through the head , in the back , face , chest and various other areas of the anatomy .
there is also one of the most unpleasant body disposal scenes yet seen on the screen .
remarkably enough , most of the movie is played for laughs .
even more remarkably , it works .
the only likable person in the film is the very pregnant sheriff ( frances mcdormand ) who hunts down the killers while eating at every possible opportunity .
with every good film the audience gains new knowledge .
here you learn _ two _ things .
everyone in minnesota speaks in an annoying whining accent that would drive you crazy .
and do n't do violent illegal business with low - life amoral degenerate scum - sucking losers .
oh yeah ,
if you get shot in the face , using a brightly decorated napkin to stop the bleeding just makes you look goofy .
even more remarkably , it works