Writer: Martin McDonagh
Director: Martin McDonagh
With no headway being made on the investigation of her daughter's murder, Mildred Hayes (McDormand) decides to re-ignite local interest in the case by means of posting messages on three billboards on what was once a main road leading into her home town. This puts her on a confrontational collision course with Ebbing's police department, notably Chief Willoughby (Harrelson) and his infantile, thuggish second-in-command Officer Dixon (Rockwell)...
If you've seen some of Martin McDonagh's previous work then you'll probably know what to expect here: profane, soulful dialogue; pitch-black humour; bursts of brutal, shocking violence; a beating heart underneath it all. These elements are all present and correct in Three Billboards and I'm delighted to say that they work together more brilliantly than ever.
A lot has been made of the performances (don't worry, I'm going to make more of those shortly) but let's not forget that without a script of this quality McDormand, Harrelson et al would not be able to make the lasting impact they do. The writing is beautiful, it's exquisitely judged and paints a group of characters who don't necessarily conform to the normal good/bad guy tropes. These are people who are all capable of doing the right or the very wrong thing. You'll laugh with them, you'll cry with them, you'll fear for them.
Thankfully the superior screenplay is given vivid, memorable humanity by a choice cast. Frances McDormand commands the screen as Mildred, a formidable figure who will not be intimidated and who will stop at nothing to see justice served. She isn't there to be liked and some of her choices will certainly test the audience's loyalty towards her but they stand as particularly fine examples of how the story and its players are all differing shades of grey.
Take Woody Harrelson as the police chief, for instance. Initially it would be natural to assume that he cares little for the case of Angela Hayes as he presides over what would appear to be a brutish, inept bunch of cops. As the film progresses, our expectations of Willoughby are confounded as the tale takes a heartbreaking turn and his actions loom large over the second half of the piece.
Performance of the film for me, somehow eclipsing McDormand's exceptional lead role, comes from Sam Rockwell. With a character arc unlike most others in recent memory, we are introduced to Dixon as a prejudiced, drunken mother's boy with an attitude problem and a penchant for violence but the Hayes case will change him in ways that he would never have seen coming. It's all the more realistic in that he doesn't experience the epiphany and personality switch that would be so unlikely, instead his gradual realisation that he can be a better person (and that others see this too) is more subtle and convincing.
In fact there's not a single weak link when it comes to the players and even the smaller roles are wonderfully accomplished. Lucas Hedges, as Mildred's son Robbie, is excellent as someone having to deal with the trauma of his sister's death and the ramifications of his mother's actions which stir up the townsfolk (and hence his high-school classmates). Peter Dinklage scores as sympathetic car dealer James, John Hawkes is deeply unnerving as Mildred's abusive ex-husband and Darrell Britt-Gibson impresses as billboard poster Jerome.
It's very early in the year to be predicting what will be in my Top Ten for 2018 but Three Billboards is certainly a strong contender to be there come December. Hilarious, heartfelt, horrific - often within the same scene - it's a great way to start the year.
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