Oscars 2018: Review- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a nightmare to type and also the third film from Irish writer/director Martin McDonagh. Like his second (Seven Psychopaths) the film is set in America, specifcally Ebbing, Missouri (shocker, right?). The story is of a mother who, months on from the death of her daughter, is still seeking justice and in order to motivate the police to do something about the case, she puts up three scathing billboards. Instantly, the police are furious and it becomes a twisted series of retaliations as things get progressively darker. It's a testament to the script (which I'll return to later) that I could never predict where the film would head next, making it an unpredictable thrill ride but it's also one that refuses easy answers. As the credits rolled, I asked myself whether the characters were making the right decision but McDonagh has done that deliberately. There's no easy answers when things this horrible happen so you're not getting any.

Speaking of characters, this is a film full of fascinating ones given much more depth with universally excellent performances. I'm just going to quickly dash through some actors who had a smaller role in this film but still deserve recognition. Lucas Hedges, Peter Dinklage and Caleb Landry Jones are all excellent in their scenes and do the best with the little they are given. Getting to more major roles, Woody Harrelson is fantastic as the Chief of Police. Initially, there seems to be very little there to like but Harrelson is able to pull every drop of warmth from the role. Sam Rockwell has an even more detestable character as a racist cop who still lives at home with his mother but again, there is something about Rockwell's performance that pulls you back into the character every time his actions push you out. The clear standout though and deserved lightning rod for awards buzz is Frances McDormand as Mildred. Her character has been through such an awful time before the film even opens so it isn't hard to sympathise with her but as her actions escalate further, we question our alliance. It is this dark duality to the characters that is what makes them so interesting. Even in the other films of McDonagh, there's never been characters with this much too them. Before, people who were horrible were horrible but it was fun to watch them. Now, characters are fully rounded and even the worst kind of people are offered redemption.

There's still so much left to talk about with the film, it's hard to know where to begin. I suppose I'll start with the script which is a real achievement, palpable in every moment of the film. The dialogue which was such a delight in In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths returns here and every single exchange between characters crackles with energy. Famously, McDonagh writes darkly funny dialogue and there's that in abundance here but when needed, there is serious tension. Flashing back a few weeks, when I reviewed The Disaster Artist (another film with a great script) I lamented the lack of some top tier direction but McDonagh gives us that. Not only does he get the best performances possible from his actors along with some beautiful looking shots but there's also some technically impressive set pieces in there too. One stands out to me and I won't spoil it but it's a tracking shot done in one take that kept me asking "How did they do this?" as well as being incredibly effective as a sequence.

There's not much I don't like about Three Billboards. It's a brilliantly acted, tense battle between neighbours that will make you laugh and almost made me cry. I guess my biggest complaint is that I have to wait until this weekend to watch it again. I have a feeling that the film may increase in my estimations over time but for now, I feel very comfortable giving Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri a