a flawed but entertaining drama

Rating: Null/10 (7 January 2018)

Don't get fooled by the categorizations. This is not a crime thriller or a comedy. It's more like a classical greek drama, with violence, intrigue, pathos and comedy in equal parts.
Some of the parts are extremely well executed: the violence and comedy stand out, and Frances McDormand leads the way in both. As a grieving and p***ed-off mother who just lost her daughter to a rape/murder, she is emotional, forceful and displays the unhinged, seemingly calm, no-nonsense behavior of people who have nothing left to lose.
Other parts are less convincing: the intrigue is without an ending, and some of the pathos lacks believability. I was left wondering about the ending, and the late reconciliation between Mildred and Dixon did not convince me.
The movie was helped along by good supporting cast appearances by Woody Harrelson, Peter Dinklage (whose character was under-developed) and Clarke Peters.
Some themes of the movies touch on racism, exclusion, and male chauvinism, but the execution could have been more powerful.
Quite a few scenes stand out where Frances McDormand as Mildred tells her truth to the town (the police chief, the advertising guy, her ex, her son, and a few others) in a way that merges comedy and tragedy that was touching and funny at the same time. This for me was the memorable part of the movie.
Overall a watchable movie, but no masterpiece - and please forget the references about Fargo or other Coen brothers' movies: the tenor and perspective are different.