Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Review

Written and Directed by: Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths)

Starring: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, John Hawkes, Peter Dinklage

Review: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is the perfect mixture of dark comedy and very dark drama.
It follows Frances McDormand's character who rents... well, three billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri, to shame the chief of police (Woody Harrelson) for not being able to find the man who raped and murdered her daughter. Although the chief is making it clear that he is doing his best, she is blinded by anger, and is persistent, even though he is dying of cancer.
This is not like In Bruges or Seven Psychopaths, the director's two other movies. While the Coen Brothers style comedy is still there, it also has a heavy dosage of effective melodrama. The story is unpredictable, and the characters are likable. Even Sam Rockwell's character, who is initially not a very good person, is sympathetic near the end. It is, at its core, a story of the grieving process, compassion, and redemption.
I will admit that even though I was definitely interested in seeing it before, it took the movie being the big winner at the Golden Globes this Sunday to actually get me to see it before it left theaters. But I am very glad I did. It is an incredible dark comedy-drama, and the best movie of 2017 that I've seen so far.

Rating: 5 stars