Awards season is now in full swing, and for a most of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, I thought it had a chance of definitely being my favourite in the Oscar race.
Martin McDonagh’s crime drama with a dark comic edge stars Frances McDormand as Mildred Hayes. Her daughter has been raped and killed, and frustrated with the police’s lack of results when hunting for the murderer, Mildred pays to have messages put on three billboards directed at police chief William Willoughby (Woody Harrelson).
This could have been a straightforward movie about a saintly mother fighting for justice and the lazy cops who try to prevent her from speaking out. But, it is far more complex than that. The characters are richly written, are multi layered, and all with flaws. The cast is almost entirely impeccable with McDormand and the marvellous Harrelson standing out but there are great performers all the way down the cast list, from Lucas Hedges as Maddie’s son to Kerry Condon who stands out in just a couple of scenes. Even Caleb Landry Jones’ typical mannered turn didn’t irritate me too much!
The one big flaw comes in the final act. One of Willoughby’s men is the violent and racist Officer Dixon who has little interest in solving the case. A series of events occur that result in him twice putting his life in danger in order to help progress the investigation. It is no criticism of San Rockwell who is otherwise excellent in the role but I did just not buy the character transformation.
Otherwise, McDonagh’s script, peppered with salty dialogue, is impeccable and this is a very impressive film.
Rating: 9 out of 10