Written by: Martin McDonagh
Starring: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, John Hawkes, Peter Dinklage
Rating: [4.5/5]
Justice does not always get adequately served due to a lack of evidence, resources, or effort by those entrusted with investigating. A harsh reality for some to stomach, but the average person only has so much power in enacting change in the situation, which we see play out in quite the extreme manner in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The rage of a mother left with no acceptable answers and will definitely not let the police off the hook.
Seven months following the rape and murder of a young girl, no tangible leads exist in the case, which has left the case cold in the small town of Ebbing, Missouri. Unsatisfied with the lack of movement in the investigation, the mother of the deceased girl, Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) decides to advertise on the three underutilized billboards to shame police Chief Bill Willoughby (Woody Harrelson).
Discomfort proves to be the ultimate feeling Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri wants to elicit from its audience along with some shock in the way it tells such a brutal but inherently sad story. It takes us into this hopeless small town where things operate to keep the status quo and keep things moving. Everyone remains polite and stays that way even when individuals perform heinous crimes against community members. Mildred’s loss makes her not care for anything that serves as this status quo because it has resulted in her daughter’s death and a complete lack of conviction in her eyes to bring the perpetrator to justice. This ultimately makes her want to stop caring about how others perceive and this manifestation of grief turns into something incredibly confrontational, quite perfect for what Martin McDonagh wants to portray through the narrative.
Providing both the perspective of the police and Mildred, this feature shows why each of them has legitimate grievances on how they treat each other. Mildred does not have this resolution and does not care to hear about a lack of a trail to follow or evidence because it allows the police to serve as the representation of what she can take her anger out on. It’s hard to fully imagine how much this grief has impacted her making it hard not to sympathize with her actions. On the other hand, Chief Bill Willoughby does not give off this presence as an officer who does not care to continue this investigation but he has nothing to go on and cannot kick over rocks that do not exist in order to provide Mildred the closure she needs and honestly deserves. We, therefore, have these forces clashing with each other where no real resolution exists and where both parties walk away happy, which makes the events that transpire quite shocking.
Unnerving violence has always existed as part of the modus operandi for Martin McDonagh in his stories as it makes its way into each of them. The way it gets displayed in this feature swings from disturbing to genuinely funny. Both Mildred and the police, particularly Officer Jason Dixon (Sam Rockwell), partake in this in ways that genuinely surprise anyone who watches it because they act as if consequences do not exist for their actions. Mildred, after all, goes around retaliating against anyone who dares to confront her about the disruption she’s causing in the community. A lack of care makes for some jaw-dropping moments but only continues to solidify just how much she believes in what she does with no mind on how others feel about it, especially when they express their displeasure to their face. The intellectual and perception battle then moves towards violence as things continue to get ratcheted up to the extreme.
Watching this incredibly cynical film will certainly not evoke a positive feeling in anyone who views it but this idea of helplessness serves as the larger message McDonagh seeks to convey here. Additionally, one might find it hard to fully relate to all of these characters because each of them carries major flaws that make them quite terrible people. As much as we can sympathize with Mildred’s plight as a grieving mother, some of her actions in this feature cross the line where unabashedly rooting for her becomes a bit difficult. Plenty can be said about the racist cop Jason Dixon and the horrific actions he partakes in within this feature but this story sits in a bubble. A vacuum of this small town collapsing within itself allows for quite a valuable observation and makes for a mighty fine feature.
Shepherding this film to success comes as a wonderful one-two combo of Martin McDonagh’s screenplay and an unsurprisingly tremendous performance by Frances McDormand. McDonagh brings his blunt and hilarious style to this small town in a way only he could. Having this perspective of this town from the travels in the American South as an Irishman allows for an interesting perspective of how towns such as this can be viewed by a perceived outsider. Whether or not it carries truths, it does not necessarily matter as he uses the setting as a canvas to paint this harrowing story, which makes McDormand the perfect person to portray Mildred. This film perfectly suits the curt persona she knows how to portray exceptionally well making everything this woman does incredibly believable. McDormand displays the grief of this mother coated in massive rage to the forefront where she feels she has nothing left even with another son she should care for. Truly exceptional work that continues to build up her legend as one of the greatest to ever perform on the big screen.
Definitely not a crowd pleaser by any stretch of the imagination, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri tells this harrowing story with such style and in an indelicate manner. It pierces through the perception of a good ol’ American small town to display how townsfolk will not allow someone like Mildred to grieve in the way she seeks to achieve some closure. McDonagh utilizes his classic trademarks making for several shocking moments with these horrible characters, but ultimately something quite thoughtful despite all of the madness.
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