"Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri"

As any writer will attest, it’s the easiest thing in the world to come up with an eye-catching premise; it’s quite another to weave a compelling story from it. In “Three Billboards outside Ebbing Missouri”, a woman puts up said notices in order to highlight what she believes is police ineptitude in investigating the horrific rape and murder of her daughter several months earlier. The fact that the story develops in a deeply involving and not entirely predictable manner is a testament to the genius of writer-director Martin McDonagh.

"Three Billboards..." (Blueprint Pictures)

The lead role of Mildred Hayes is a gift for Frances McDormand, all coldly righteous fury mingled with grim wit, but this is only one of several laudably complex characterisations; most controversially, Sam Rockwell, playing a laughably unpleasant idiot cop who just may be good at his job. Woody Harrelson does excellent work as the embattled police chief; indeed the entire supporting cast is given the opportunity to dig deep, mining humour and pathos from subtly written archetypes (e.g. Peter Dinklage’s unhappy town dwarf, John Hawkes as Mildred’s violent ex-husband, Samara Weaving as his “bimbo” girlfriend).

This is a film about the deleterious and sometimes energising effect of grief and guilt, which also prompts one to reflect on the nature of goodness and justice. As well as serving us a good few narrative curveballs, McDonagh also makes exemplary use of the bleached, Southern landscape, natural beauty co-existing uneasily with human misery and drabness. 

“Three Billboards…” is a powerfully told, compassionate, brutally beautiful film whose emotional impact lingers long after the credits roll.