For those that hated the film and are petrified by these good reviews

Rating: 1/10 (1 December 2017)

The whole way through I realized that this film isn't full of racist characters, the film is just racist. The way the man that was pasting up the billboards spoke to the cop who "tortured people of color" (what was that scene all about BTW?) - was completely tone deaf to how Black people have to interact with the police, especially overtly racist ones! It just seemed a masturbatory way for the writer/director to create a false reality where he can exercise his white-guilt about cops torturing Black people. That same character comes up later with the replacement billboards like some magical hero who was "always on the right side" (because Black people hate cops I guess?) that only exists to be a servant to Mildred. Her friend in the store, Denise, is only there as a tool for the audience/Mildred to be angry at the cops but has absolutely no depth herself. And the new Chief is, again, only an extension of the writer's enormous White guilt. For such a racist White town, that doesn't seemed to be bothered about a cop that tortures Black people, it seems that no one is bothered by a new Black Chief - who has come to no protest by the people and conveniently fixes racism within the police force by firing the one racist. (Woody Harrelson's line about if you fired every racist cop you'd just have three that hated fags is an insane apologist stance too.) In fact, this new chief is such a "good guy," (I hate to say it because it's so gross, but what a classic example of an Uncle Tom) that he forgives and overlooks Mildred who blew up a police station and attempted to murder someone. These character's Blackness only exists to serve Mildred, it's flimsy and exploitative. Also, that monologue about the Catholic church is nauseating - she defends a racist law created to throw as many Black people in prison as possible and relates it to child molestation in the church (also, throws in homosexuality as an equivalent to pedophilia) which is supposed to be a "you-go-girl" moment but ultimately you can't side with her because the priest is the only character in the film that was there for the son. I read a quote from the writer/director that Mildred is an antihero which may explain that last scene but... what the f***? Your protagonist is a woman demanding that the police find the man that raped and murdered her daughter and decided that she is going to be an antihero???? She's not liked by the town for being zealous and she's not liked by the audience for everything else... It takes sharp turns from comedy to drama, cutting both aspects short at the wrong times with none of the humor in the antihero aspect - it's an excuse to have a woman in a revenge role to say that it's a film with a woman in a revenge role... taking notes from the Coen Brothers, Tarantino, Ritchie, and Twin Peaks but missing all of those marks by miles. Not a single female character, not one, had any depth. The ex-husband's new girlfriend for one, was a cartoon based on women being complete morons. Almost all the characters had some sense of being real people but then they throw in a character as comedic relief and the joke is "women are horrendously stupid." Even Mildred is a one note story, she's an angry, bitter mother. Her character arch was completely neutered to fulfill the character arch of the antagonist, a racist who read a letter and is all better now. The second half of the film is just a way to apologize for officer Dixon's wrong-doings - some White male guilt fantasy that he can be redeemed of all of his sins if you just gave the poor guy a chance. That's who the story serves in the end, it IS NOT ABOUT a grieving mother that wants answers, it's not about a child getting raped and murdered, those are just points added in to ultimately give redemption to the wrong doings of white men in power and absolve the writer/director of whatever sins of his own I'm sure he's working through in this film. I even read a quote that he was happy this film was being released among the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment wave as this film is a place for that anger... wow. Also... The Dwarf character was just used as the butt of what felt like 100 jokes and his redemption is some after school special line about "you judge me for looking different, but look at you" - that character is an adult, why is he consistently trying to date Mildred and cover for her? (hint: to make the audience feel better about laughing at endless midget jokes when he gets the final word.) Then the rapist who murdered someone in some "Sandy country" (-_-) is drawn as simple as some of the women in this film. I guess the writer/director is claiming that - it's not war that brings out the worst in people - some people rape and kill and brag about it to their buddies over a drink with no signs of PTSD, shame, guilt. PTSD would not justify rape and murder, but it is an extension of "people can do good if they just changed their minds" that we saw with Officer Dixon. (Maybe there will be a sequel where the rapist says he's sorry and spends the rest of the film teaching Black kids how to play basketball. Seems like a fit continuation for this confused film.) Too many false endings too with no real good conclusion other than, again, to serve as a nice pillow for the redemption of officer Dixon to rest on. Would've been better if the climax was the Chief's suicide and the resolution was that he gave the money to Mildred.