Review of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) by Brandon M — 30 Jan 2018

I don't think anyone can be like writer-director Martin McDonagh. If there is a talented filmmaker who can make a great dark comedy, such as "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," I'll be surprise by that. It's very obvious to see McDonagh getting inspired by Quentin Tarantino because, after all, he has made dark comedy films before, but his style is different. Most filmmakers have always tried to combine action, comedy, and drama in their films, and some of them end up being inconsistent. But that's seriously not the case of a Martin McDonagh film. When my favorite film critic, James Berardinelli from Reelviews, did a review of "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," he mentioned something that Roger Ebert has once stated before. It's that any subject matter can be used to comedic effect if the practitioner is skill enough. With James saying, "McDonagh is skilled enough," I agree, despite the fact that he gave mixed reviews of McDonagh's previous films, ("In Bruges" and "Seven Psychopaths").

The film opens up in a way that feels like you're watching a film by the Coen Brothers, with a score that evokes very similar to "Fargo," (which, of course, it's all done by the same composer, Carter Burwell). Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) has been recently divorced by her abusive ex-husband, Charlie (John Hawkes), and she's living with her depressed son, Robbie (Lucas Hedges). Since she doesn't hear any reports from the police on the killer who raped and murdered her daughter, Angela (Kathryn Newton), seven months ago, Mildred goes against the police by sending a controversial message of these three billboards. Witnessing these billboards for the first time, the police, such as Chief Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) and Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell), and the rest of the town are finding this to be very upsetting.

Like most of McDonagh's films or stories, he has always created his central characters that are mostly damaged, and with Mildred, it's no different. Mildred is trying to seek justice, but since she put these billboards up, the town is going against her and Robbie because of that. On the other hand, she's also filled with regrets and an immense guilt inside of herself. The most shocking scene in the entire film is where she's arguing with Angela. That scene explains why she feels so guilty to herself. Frances McDormand, (who's playing quite the opposite of her previous character, Marge, in "Fargo"), does a marvelous job on bringing Mildred to life.

Another performance I really like as much as I really like Frances McDormand in this film is Sam Rockwell as the hateful and naïve Dixon who lives with his mother. From the beginning, we find ourselves disliking his character, but as far as the story goes, we started to see something better out of his character. The rest of the cast, (such as Woody Harrelson, John Hawkes, Peter Dinklage, and Lucas Hedges), give excellent support in the film, but there's no doubt in my mind that Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell are going to receive more credit than anybody in the film. McDonagh's screenplay is sharply written, and every set piece he puts in the film works.

There have been some shocking moments where I find myself uncomfortable, but the film gets better as it goes on. "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" is the real deal for anybody who wants to see drama, twists, dark humor, and shocking thrills altogether. My full opinion: 9.7/10.