Review of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) by Garry A — 07 Jan 2018

As with Martin McDonagh's previous 'In Bruges' this manages to be a contemplative, yet spiteful dark comedy. Unlike that film though, the emphasis here is reversed, with the sporadic humour, used to cushion the impact of what would otherwise be a relentlessly bleak tale.

The three lead characters, all offer distinctly tragic contributions to the story, yet the magic of McDonagh's writing is in how he dispels any stereotypical character arc - Sam Rockwell in particular manages a journey towards almost redemption by the end, which is not what you would expect, given his crude introduction, and Woody Harrelson's role too is not what you perceive going in. His fate ultimately steers the film in a certain direction, and provides the conflict central to events in the latter parts of the movie.

It is McDormand's film though - I'm actually one of those who find her a bit of an overrated actress - Fargo in particular was massively overhyped, but here she is masterful. She balances that fine line between psychopathic and sympathetic to perfection. It is a flawless performance, which really is an apt adjective for the film itself. A great start to 2018.