Vintage Martin McDonagh... A Masterpiece.

Rating: 10/10 (19 January 2018)

Every now and then a film comes out that lives up to all its pre-release hype and reputation and then some. 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' is absolutely one of those films. From the opening credits to the end I was continually impressed and taken aback by this movie at virtually all levels - From the outstanding performances to the raw and darkly funny screenplay to the wonderful score by Carter Burwell - Who incidentally composed one of my favorite western themes for the Coen Brother's "True Grit". Already being a fan of Martin McDonagh, it wasn't difficult for me to believe the people raving about this movie on the festival circuit. He is easily one of the best auteurs working today which might be helped by him being a successful former playwright. McDonagh writes and directs this film and injects it with his signature cynicism and black comedy. It just so happens that he also assembled the perfect cast led by essentially the Queen of black comedy Frances McDormand to knock it out of the park. Even though McDonagh's feature debut 'In Bruges' is perfect in my opinion, I also think 'Three Billboards' might just be his best work to date.
The plot revolves around a mother named Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) who challenges the local police department specifically the chief of police Willoughby (Woody Harrellson) after her daughter's brutal rape and murder goes unsolved for eight months, by putting up three provocative billboards outside town. This surely captures the attention of the police including one of Willoughby's officers, the racist and all round loathsome Dickson (Sam Rockwell). What follows is plenty of twists of turns that come completely unexpectedly that I will no spoil here of course. One of the biggest achievements of McDonagh's screenplay is the complex nature of all characters in the movie. Everyone is three-dimensional here, they all have flaws and they all have moments where you root for them- Very impressive when one of the characters namely Dickson is accused of torturing 'black folk' in the past. But even the protagonist Mildred does some very questionable things throughout the story.
As I mentioned I absolutely love the score by Burwell which evokes Ennio Morricone's themes of the classic spaghetti westerns of the 1960's. It helps set the tone from the opening shots of the three billboards and the long winding decommissioned road that runs alongside them. The editing by Jon Gregory is also very effective in creating suspense in certain scenes and nailing comedic timing in others.
One of the strongest elements of 'Three Billboards', of which there are many, is definitely the performances by the stellar cast. It is a true ensemble and probably the best one of 2017. Frances McDormand is ferocious and commanding as Mildred Hayes and she portrays her sorrow, guilt and search for justice very believably. Sam Rockwell although billed as a supporting character is pretty much a co-lead as he gets the most screen time second only to McDormand. This is probably his best role to date and it allows him to show his range as a character who in other movies would have just been reduced to a stereotype but emerges full bodied in this one. Woody Harrelson as family man and local police chief Willoughby also has a great showing and is in some of the funniest and most tragic scenes in the film - The several scenes in which his voice-over reads out a letter to certain characters spring to mind. The cast is rounded out with notable turns by a remarkable supporting cast including Caleb Landry Jones, Lucas Hedges, Peter Dinklage, John Hawkes and Samara Weaving.
Ultimately, Martin McDonagh has created something truly special with 'Three Billboards' which is in tragic and heartbreaking in equal measure and is hands down the best film of 2017.