Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Rating: 9/10 (21 January 2018)

I was surprised by the amount of bad language featured in just the trailer for this movie, from this I was already wanting to see it, then more so when it was getting nominations during Awards Season, I was hoping for an interesting tragicomedy, from writer and BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated director Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, The Guard). Basically teenager Angela Barnes (Kathryn Newton) was raped and murdered seven months ago, her mother Mildred (Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe winning Frances McDormand) is grieving, but also angry at the lack of progress in the investigation. Driving towards her town, outside of Ebbing, Missouri, she passes three unused billboards, she makes enquiries to Red Welby (Caleb Landry Jones) at the company that rents them. She pays for them to read, in sequence, "RAPED WHILE DYING", "AND STILL NO ARRESTS?", and "HOW COME, CHIEF WILLOUGHBY?" The billboards upset the townspeople, including Sheriff Bill Willoughby (Oscar and BAFTA nominated Woody Harrelson), who the third billboard refers to, and officer Jason Dixon (Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe winning Sam Rockwell). The fact that Willoughby suffers from terminal pancreatic cancer adds to their disapproval, Mildred and her depressed son Robbie (Lucas Hedges) are harassed and threatened, but she stays firm, to Robbie's disappointment. While Willoughby is sympathetic to Mildred's frustration, he thinks the billboards are an unfair attack on his character. Dixon is angry at Mildred's lack of respect, he threatens Red, and arrests her friend Denise (Amanda Warren) for insignificant possession of marijuana. Mildred also receives a visit from her abusive ex-husband Charlie (John Hawkes), who blames her for the death of their daughter. Willoughby brings Mildred in for questioning after she has an altercation with her dentist, she injured him with a drill at the clinic. During the interview, Willoughby coughs up blood, against medical advice, he leaves the hospital to spend time an idyllic day with his wife Anne (Abbie Cornish) and daughters, before committing suicide with a gunshot to the head. Before he killed himself, Willoughby wrote several suicide notes for people, including one to Mildred, in which he explains that she was not a factor in his suicide. Willoughby has also secretly paid to keep her billboards up for another month, amused at the trouble it will bring her, a stranger (Brendan Sexton III) soon threatens her in the store she works. Dixon reacts to the news of Willoughby's death by assaulting Red and his assistant, the new chief and Willoughby's replacement Abercrombie (Clarke Peters) witnesses the attack and fires Dixon. Mildred is devastated when passing the billboards to find them on fire, an arson attack, meanwhile Dixon hears that there is a suicide note for him back at the police station. Still in possession of the keys, Dixon enters the police station at night to read the note, which advises him to let go of hate and learn to love so he can achieve his dream of becoming a detective. Dixon is unaware that Mildred is retaliating to destruction of the billboards by tossing bottle bombs at the station, she assumed the building was unoccupied, Dixon escapes the burning building, throwing out Angela's case files, but suffers severe burns. Mildred's acquaintance James (Peter Dinklage) witnessed the incident, but provides Mildred with an alibi to the police, claiming that they were on a date. Dixon is discharged from hospital and goes to a bar, whilst there he overhears the man who threatened Mildred in the store bragging about an incident similar to Angela's murder. Dixon notes the man's car licence plate, he scratches the man's face, provoking a fight, but removes the man's skin from his nails, as a DNA sample to investigate if he had any part in Angela's murder. Meanwhile, Mildred accepts the offer from James to go on a real date, as a thank you for the alibi, but this is spoiled when Charlie enters, with his 19-year-old girlfriend Penelope (Samara Weaving), he admits to burning the billboards, Mildred instructs Charlie to treat Penelope well and leaves. Abercrombie informs Dixon that the DNA sample does not match DNA found on Angela's body, and that the man was on military duty aboard at the time of the murder. Mildred and Dixon conclude that the man must be guilty of some other rape, so they plan to drive to Idaho, carrying a gun, on the way, Mildred confesses to starting the police station fire, Dixon replies without surprise, they both have reservations about their mission, but agree to decide what to do on the way. Also starring Kerry Condon as Pamela, Sandy Martin as Momma Dixon and Christopher Berry as Tony. McDormand gives a brilliant performance as the divorced mother, who tests our sympathies, bankrolling an ad campaign to find her daughter's killer, Rockwell is also fantastic as the dim-witted cop with issues, and Harrelson does well in his time onscreen as the happy-go-lucky sheriff trying to justify himself, whilst also suffering a deadly disease. This is a clever mix of both the funny and the tragic, the high amount of foul language and one-liners are what get the right amount of chuckles, but it is also poignant in its approach to grief, emotional reactions, and other hard-hitting material, it is both sad and funny, a marvellous black comedy drama. It was nominated the Oscars for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Original Score for Carter Burwell, Best Original Screenplay for Martin McDonagh and Best Film Editing, it won the BAFTAs for Best Film, Outstanding British Film of the Year and Best Original Screenplay, and it was nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Editing, and it won the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Drama and Best Screenplay, and it was nominated for Best Original Score. Very good!