Biting barbs and murky morals
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (15) Londoner Martin McDonagh came out of the blocks in spectacular style with blistering crimecomedy In Bruges, but lost his focus on sophomore effort Seven Psychopaths.
Thankfully, he’s back on top form with this gripping concoction of biting barbs and heartbreaking drama, which took home four of the top prizes at the Golden Globes.
The story – written by McDonagh – focuses on emotional mother Mildred’s (Frances McDormand) intense challenge to Woody Harrelson’s (Willoughby) police chief to solve her daughter’s murder.
Driving Three Billboards... from start to finish is a never-better McDormand; with the eyes of a determined woman at the end of her tether, she’s beaten down but not broken as she embarks on her straight-talking, not always morally justifiable, mission.
It’s a mission that sees even a dentist take a side – and get caught in the crossfire – as the people of the small fictional town of Ebbing line up to either condemn Mildred’s controversial actions, or will her on.
Every character has a purpose and no-one is beyond reproach; any anger we may feel for the excellent Harrelson is dissipated when we realise he is a tender family man doing the best job he can, living with tragic news of his own.
There’s black humour running throughout the more serious drama and, like McDonagh’s previous work, this isn’t one for the PC brigade.
Never is that better emphasised than with Sam Rockwell’s boozed-up, racist cop Dixon; one minute he’s joking about Donald Sutherland’s 70s hairstyle, the next he’s throwing someone out a window.
But in a multifaceted turn that matches McDormand’s, Rockwell’s clumsy, oafish man-child-with-a-temper never ventures into full-on irredeemably villainous territory.
No-one – not even Caleb Landry Jones’ (Red Welby) salesman or Peter Dinklage’s Mildredromancing James – emerges unscathed and while he possesses a knack for a cutting one-liner, McDonagh also shows he can write raw emotion; witness Mildred’s devastating final words to her daughter Angela (Kathryn Newton).
Three Billboards... is a very unpredictable watch too as just when you think you know where it’s heading, it veers off into wild new directions; there are at least three genuine jawdropping moments along the way.
What just let the film down ever so slightly, though, is what I felt was a mis-judged ending that would’ve worked better if it had wrapped up two or three scenes earlier.
Does Oscar glory await? It would be one of the most offbeat Best Picture winners of all time, but don’t rule it out as buzz gathers.
And I wouldn’t be at all surprised if McDormand and Rockwell are polishing off their best acceptance speeches as I bring this review to a close.