Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a 2017 drama/comedy film written, produced, and directed by Martin McDonagh. The film stars Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, John Hawkes, and Peter Dinklage, and follows a mother who takes matters into her own hands after the police in her town are unable to find a suspect in her daughter’s murder by purchasing three billboards shaming the police for not solving the crime.
Okay. That was pretty damn fantastic. Billboards is one of those movies that just slipped right under the superhero blockbuster rug. It’s another one of those films that will have you talking about it with all of your friends and family, and is a movie that will stay with you for a long time. Although this was a film I’ve planned to see and review for the past month or so, it was more of a filler movie for the last week of November than something I was genuinely looking forward to. Because of that my expectations were low, and I came out very very impressed.
So although this film made it to the big screen it really didn’t feel like it was meant to. Not in a bad way, but in a searchlight way. The tone of this film felt very experimental, and I really enjoyed that. What I’m talking about was that they seemed to just go with the flow, almost like a film with no storyboard. And although that’s usually not a good thing, this movie nails that kind of atmosphere.
The piece that really made this movie shine was Frances McDormand. She. Is. Killer. Honestly she would be my choice for Best Actress for the Oscars this season. She is fierce, strong, angry, and human in every sense of the word. You really feel for her character and enjoy the roller coaster that she goes on throughout the film. She has to be one of the best female characters of the year, and was truly memorable. Woody Harrelson also did a pretty good job as a supporting actor, but the real star of the show for supporting roles had to be Sam Rockwell.. like Jesus.. this guy is fantastic. His character is complex and immoral, and is probably one of the most unique antagonists I’ve seen in awhile.
Continuing on, this film has such an interesting plot. Although it feels like something you might have seen in its visuals, the narrative is extremely original and has you guessing the entirety of the film. Honestly, there were a couple of moments in this film where I was left speechless, and plenty more scenes that had me stressed beyond words. It’s definitely one of those films that puts you in Ebbing, Missouri and really makes this film feel real. Sure there are some hard concepts that the film throws at you, but it never felt like it had a narrative meant for a different agenda. Not to mention this film is hilarious at times, and that’s due to its fantastic writing.
But another great aspect to this film was the film. The visuals in this movie were stunning, and there’s a scene in particular that is taken in one shot and holy crap.. probably one of my favorite long takes I have ever seen. This film has a beautiful color pallet that will make you drool at times, and really stands out in its visuals compared to other films that are drowning themselves in CGI. McDonagh definitely knows how to direct, and the only thing that could have made this film any better was if it was shot in film.
Although I have been raving about this film thus far, there were a couple of minor hiccups. On my end I felt like Billboards struggled to find a satisfying end. You can tell the film doesn’t know if it wants to end sooner than it did or later, but either way the ending just felt kinda out of place. Now although I didn’t have this issue, many others found that the ending wasn’t as satisfying as they were hoping for. Again I didn’t mind the ending, it just felt like it didn’t know where exactly it should end. Another slight issue I had was with some minor pacing issues as the film felt a tad bit dragged out at times. I understand the reason why some scenes were made that way, it just didn’t really do any justice for me or the people who I was watching it with.
With all that being said, I thought that Billboards was a beautiful gem in a vast sea of Thors and Leagues. Although prone to some minor issues in its pacing and subjective concerns with its ending, its stunning visuals and fantastic cast carry this movie home to victory. It is hard to find such great original films that you know will stick with you for a long time, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri did just that. So in the end I decided to give this film a “Very Good” on theVade Review Bar. It’s just another one of those movies that catches you by surprise, and boy oh boy do we need more of these kinds of films.
