Review of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) by Chesterftof — 23 Jan 2018

Following my viewing of the Golden Globes, and more recently, the SAG awards, I decided that watching Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri would most likely be a good idea. The film has performed exceptionally well so far this awards season, consistently winning many of the awards it was put up for. After being fortunate enough to see it, I can understand why.

I feel it is worth quickly adding that, while watching this film, I was quite tired. I’d seen Coco earlier that same day, and I rarely go out for that long a period. The fact that the film still made such an impact on me in that state is impressive.

Ordinarily, this isn’t the sort of film I’d be attracted to. I didn’t really recognise many of the actors going in, nor was it based on an existing property. To put it bluntly, it was a proper, standalone film. After seeing it, I was genuinely impressed.

Ordinarily, I would list highlights of a film, then delve into the issues. Now, however, I’m perplexed; the film did everything well, at least to an extent. There was only a few things I found issue with. The CGI (which was used incredibly sparingly) was often rather jarring. It didn’t fit with the rest of the gorgeously shot world. Though the locations are never astounding, Ben Davis makes even relatively mundane countryside look beautiful.

The characters shown within this film are rather fascinating. The events leading up to the film could almost be a film in themselves. Despite what reading a synopsis may imply, however, this film isn’t a murder mystery. The murder of Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand)’s daughter isn’t the focal point of the film. Instead, the main focus of the film is how the event impacts various people, and how they go on to deal with it. Each main character is rather layered, and could arguably be the lead in their own film.

Bringing these characters to life is a brilliantly talented cast. Frances McDormand deserves each award she receives. I feel the trailer actually does her character a disservice; after watching it, I felt that she was simply a vulgar, hateful woman taking her frustrations out on those around her. In reality, she’s a far more sympathetic character, who isn’t nearly as abrasive as the trailer makes her out to be. Woody Harrelson’s Chief Willoughby was probably my favourite character of the film, who, despite playing the straight man in many scenes, is able to bring levity and humour to the dark situations in which he finds himself. Sam Rockwell’s Dixon is also wonderful, though many people have taken issue with his character’s arc. Personally, I enjoyed it greatly, though it’s something to note.

Many of the supporting characters are hit or miss. I feel Peter Dinklage was brilliantly funny, though some of the others failed to steal a chuckle from me. The rest of the audience seemed to enjoy them, however, so it’s most likely a fault of my own.

I was pleasantly surprised by how violent this film is; the trailer makes it seem that violence is a punchline to a joke, but at times, the movie is genuinely brutal. It’s probably more violent than most modern horror films.

The soundtrack was actually rather enjoyable. The original scoring was great, and fit the setting perfectly. The other songs added each served their purpose, oftentimes accentuating the comedy within a scene.

For the most part, I found the writing great. The characters spoke like real (if dramatised) people, though occasionally there was some odd lines.

To conclude the review, I feel this was a truly impressive film, and I understand why it’s getting so many nominations. If you love film, I must recommend you give this one a watch. Thankfully, this isn’t one you need to see in the cinema; I think it could work just as well on a smaller screen. If you need a concrete ending, however, you may need to steer clear; it’s rather open ended. I feel Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri deserves a 9/10, and I look forward to seeing more films of a similar quality to this one.