Loss and revenge

Rating: 9/10 (31 October 2017)

Outstanding work by writer/director Martin McDonagh, in a return to form after the off-kilter "Seven Psychopaths." This is a film about the joint cul-de-sacs of loss and revenge. It is both horrifying and touching, and it is also very funny.
McDonagh, a first-rate playwright, knows how to structure scenes and write dialogue. To do him justice, first-rate actors are required. They must love the succulent stew of characters he cooks up, because he catches the very best.
I can't find enough superlatives for Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell. They are, here as in everything they've ever been in, great. They are ably supported by Woody Harrelson, Caleb Landry Jones, Clarke Peters, Sandy Martin, Lucas Hedges, John Hawkes, Amanda Warren. The only weak link in this superb ensemble is Abbie Cornish, who is warm and smiley but is unfortunately out of her depth: a very odd piece of casting.
Cinematography, production design, costume, editing, music - they're all top of the range. But in the end it's down to McDormand and Rockwell, and the brilliant script.