Martin McDonagh has had audiences laugh at some not typically comedic content with In Bruges, and Seven Psychopaths. While his new film shows some of that trademark dark humor, it also brings some more serious moments making this arguable his best film so far, and maybe one of the year's best.
In this film, Mildred Hayes is very upset with the lack of any arrests for the case of her daughter who was raped and killed. In retaliation she rents out three billboards on a seldom used road near her hometown that call out the Ebbing police chief. The audience is then put right into Ebbing as we see the town's response to the billboards, as well as some development of the case regarding Mildred's daughter. That's as much as I'll say plot wise as there are a lot of turns this film takes.
Mildred Hayes is portrayed by Frances McDormand, and holy shit is she amazing. Mildred Hayes is by far the most badass female character I've seen in a movie this year. She doesn't care about what anybody thinks of her and pretty much everything she says or does is awesome. With the plot somewhat revolving around the death of her daughter there are also some scenes where McDormand shows some insanely strong emotion. The run for best lead actress is going to be a strong one this year as I'm already having trouble choosing between McDormand and Saoirse Ronan, and I haven't even seen The Shape of Water which also looks to have a great Sally Hawkins performance in it. While I definitely think McDormand deserves a nomination, Sam Rockwell as Jason Dixon deserves a best supporting actor win. Sure, there's a chance I'll see a supporting performance I like more, but I doubt that I will because Rockwell is absolutely incredible. In this film he plays a dumb, racist cop that spends a lot of time in the beginning blubbering like an idiot. This character surprisingly shows some strong growth throughout the film and Rockwell knocked it out of the park both physically and emotionally. If Rockwell doesn't receive a best supporting actor nomination I might throw a table. While he doesn't have as big of a role as Dixon, Woody Harrelson is also part of the supporting cast, playing Willoughby, Ebbing's police chief. His performance is similar to what he usually does on screen, but he fits the film very well and gives some of the most emotional moments in the movie. The last actor I want to talk about it Caleb Landry Jones as the man that rents the billboards to Mildred. I don't know what it is about him but every time Jones has a supporting role in a film I get excited. Despite a small amount of screen time he really leaves his mark on this film and I can't wait to see what he does next. Overall this cast is fantastic, perfectly handling the balance of dark comedy and seriousness that McDonagh's screenplay calls for.
While all of those performances are incredible, McDonagh might just be the star of this film. This script has moments that will make you laugh hysterically, laugh uncomfortably, maybe tear up a bit, and always be on the edge of your seat. McDonagh handles a lot of very serious subjects from rape to racism to depression and knows exactly when to take things more comedically and give the audience some ease. The dark humor from his other films is definitely prevalent, but there are moments he takes things more seriously than in his past endeavors. The script is matched with his great direction. He really gets the best out of his cast at all points in the film, and manages to keep a solid pace throughout the film. The cinematography by Ben Davis is also great in this film, really adding to the immersion into the town and the story.
McDonagh has a true hit on his hands with Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and I really hope it makes some noise during the awards season because I loved this film. While I found at one or two points the pacing lost some steam, and I think the film could have ended stronger, this is one of the best screenplays of the year and it holds a wealth of incredible performances.
Rating: 4.7/5
Written by Matt McKenzie
In this film, Mildred Hayes is very upset with the lack of any arrests for the case of her daughter who was raped and killed. In retaliation she rents out three billboards on a seldom used road near her hometown that call out the Ebbing police chief. The audience is then put right into Ebbing as we see the town's response to the billboards, as well as some development of the case regarding Mildred's daughter. That's as much as I'll say plot wise as there are a lot of turns this film takes.
Mildred Hayes is portrayed by Frances McDormand, and holy shit is she amazing. Mildred Hayes is by far the most badass female character I've seen in a movie this year. She doesn't care about what anybody thinks of her and pretty much everything she says or does is awesome. With the plot somewhat revolving around the death of her daughter there are also some scenes where McDormand shows some insanely strong emotion. The run for best lead actress is going to be a strong one this year as I'm already having trouble choosing between McDormand and Saoirse Ronan, and I haven't even seen The Shape of Water which also looks to have a great Sally Hawkins performance in it. While I definitely think McDormand deserves a nomination, Sam Rockwell as Jason Dixon deserves a best supporting actor win. Sure, there's a chance I'll see a supporting performance I like more, but I doubt that I will because Rockwell is absolutely incredible. In this film he plays a dumb, racist cop that spends a lot of time in the beginning blubbering like an idiot. This character surprisingly shows some strong growth throughout the film and Rockwell knocked it out of the park both physically and emotionally. If Rockwell doesn't receive a best supporting actor nomination I might throw a table. While he doesn't have as big of a role as Dixon, Woody Harrelson is also part of the supporting cast, playing Willoughby, Ebbing's police chief. His performance is similar to what he usually does on screen, but he fits the film very well and gives some of the most emotional moments in the movie. The last actor I want to talk about it Caleb Landry Jones as the man that rents the billboards to Mildred. I don't know what it is about him but every time Jones has a supporting role in a film I get excited. Despite a small amount of screen time he really leaves his mark on this film and I can't wait to see what he does next. Overall this cast is fantastic, perfectly handling the balance of dark comedy and seriousness that McDonagh's screenplay calls for.
While all of those performances are incredible, McDonagh might just be the star of this film. This script has moments that will make you laugh hysterically, laugh uncomfortably, maybe tear up a bit, and always be on the edge of your seat. McDonagh handles a lot of very serious subjects from rape to racism to depression and knows exactly when to take things more comedically and give the audience some ease. The dark humor from his other films is definitely prevalent, but there are moments he takes things more seriously than in his past endeavors. The script is matched with his great direction. He really gets the best out of his cast at all points in the film, and manages to keep a solid pace throughout the film. The cinematography by Ben Davis is also great in this film, really adding to the immersion into the town and the story.
McDonagh has a true hit on his hands with Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and I really hope it makes some noise during the awards season because I loved this film. While I found at one or two points the pacing lost some steam, and I think the film could have ended stronger, this is one of the best screenplays of the year and it holds a wealth of incredible performances.
Rating: 4.7/5
Written by Matt McKenzie
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