Review of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) by Kyle M — 03 Feb 2018

It takes a film that's small-scaled with a given decision to wait for a home viewing to instead be given a chance to see a theatrical viewing thanks to its growing, literally award-winning reputation, particularly during the helpful awards season. Presenting the latest dramatically crafty cinematic experience that proved theatrically worthwhile is "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri".

The supposedly dark comic drama tells a crime story that rages war within a small town community between an unsatisfied mother looking for justice and the local law enforcement with a sympathizing, ailing chief. Around the aftermath months of her daughter's death and rape with no justice served due to no culprits turned in, Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) took a bold action of renting the three billboards along the town's entrance path with a controversial message directly addressed to the town's revered Chief Wilhoughby (Woody Harrelson). His second-in-command Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell) becomes the bad cop when getting involved with a taste for violence and fueled the war-mongering flames between Mildred and law enforcement.

You'll find "Three Billboards" a similar experience to a typical drama with the said dramatic craftsmanship and occasional expressions of the filmic power's peak, and it's the usual pick to hold it off till it's available for a home viewing. But that's the case of underestimating the value that turned out to have a perfect decent scale at the cinema. It's that good of a movie filled with tense and committed emotions along with a touch of unsatisfactory but passable truism, memorably by emotional impact with a gruesome point and sealed fate.

The only work I've seen of writer-director Martin McDonagh is his short film "Six Shooter", and his directorial skills from there had enlarged through the unseen "In Bruges" and this film under the consideration that it's easily his best yet with a unique scale that was presented. The atmospheric tone from still wide shots at different angles to a personal aroma perspective is expressed by the elegance in music, with the original score composed by frequent collaborator Carter Burwell (who deserved the current award-winning recognition). There's a sense of perfection in those scenes, stylized by excellent cinematography, with a fitting jukebox and charming score, displaying the usual powerful peak of one dramatic story with a continuous shot of harsh grief, and difference in lighting from after a pivotal flashback.

One of the few main factors that drawn me into seeing this film is the cast glorifying the reputation with their excellent performances into really good characterization. The performances of the cast really has a way of putting a spectator in their shoes within their spaces to separately feel their mentality and reacting to their actions that are gripping and unnecessarily irrational - with one action being formulaically predicted based on the heat of the case. The obvious standouts are McDormand and Harrelson, and Rockwell in particular as the latter radiated a lot of energy into his provoking actions while the former shows conflict in her ideal emotions that are understandable.

"Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" excels with a storytelling value that teaches filmgoers to not underestimate one film by its scale. It consists impressive cinematography from craftsmanship and aesthetic direction that positioned the three billboards in a symbolic meaning, along with the human soul counterpart bringing out emotional performances from its excellent cast. Although it could've been rated higher if it weren't for the irrational acts despite that they proved pivotal to where it ended up and make the film beautifully powerful with grit, which genuinely makes this one of the very best of 2017. (A-).