Review of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) by John M — 18 Feb 2018

Lash out. So this is the story about a mother (Frances McDormand) who lost her daughter in a horrific crime. Months have passed, and the local law enforcement is ready to write the case off as being unsolvable because they have no leads.

She decides to push the issue and rent three billboards so as to remind the police that this isn't just going away. Now this was one of the movies that I was most looking forward to all year. It's from Martin McDonagh who has written some of my favorite dark stories not only for the screen, but for the stage as well.

He clearly has some personal demons that he exorcises through his writing, and I highly recommend you take time with both In Bruges and The Pillowman. This is his new original work, and it did not disappoint.

I know I must sound like a broken record at this point, but I have to say it again: this is yet another movie that was pitched to me as a dark comedy, but it features a subject matter that really didn't allow me to laugh all that much.

That said, I could tell what this movie really was about pretty early on, so I was able to adjust fairly quickly. This is a pitch black heavy story that is not afraid to get in your face. It is all brought to life with some knockout performances, especially from Frances McDormand.

This is the best she has been since Fargo (which is saying something), and she is excellent as this tough-as-nails woman with a vendetta. I don't think there is going to be a whole lot of surprises this Oscar ceremony, because I think that she is a lock to win for Best Actress, and she really does deliver that flooring of a performance.

Also worth mentioning is the performances of the local police force in Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell. They are effectively playing country folk to the point of being natural, and that makes it all the easier to get into the story.

I do really like how you can see multiple points of view in this and understand where everybody is coming from. I know this has faced a bit of backlash due to one of the characters having a racist history, and to be fair, there is plenty about this that will make you cringe, but it does make it feel authentic.

Realistically, if you are dealing with people that are this backwater, you're going to see deep seeded racism that has been passed down for generations, and that just is something that you can't tiptoe around.

There is a lot of emotional weight to this, and I could easily see this being translated for a stage production, it is just how Martin McDonagh writes. This is an uncomfortable drama that has a number of great scenes to it, and I recommend it.