THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI; A Professional Scotsman Review #18

#SPOILER FREE# Watch Trailer

There are more mainstream films with a felmale lead than there used to be. Well, there's Star Wars now at least (Rogue One AND the last two, um... series entries? I dunno what to call them). There are still not many films with a middle aged unglamorous female lead. So 3 Billboards has that going for it. With not much (maybe none? I can't tell) make up and and perma-hangdog expression Francis McDormand still has an incredibly interesting face. It kind of has valleys in it, which matches the location the film is set in, and I got a bit lost looking at both her and the landscape. Oh God, I'm already talking about the female lead's looks. Sorry. Okay... hang on. Man up and shut up about the lassie's looks for crying out loud!

Officer Olson: "What'd this guy look like, anyway?" Mr. Mohra: "Oh, he was a little guy... Kinda funny lookin'." Officer Olson: "Uh-huh. In what way?" Mr. Mohra: "Oh, just in a general kinda way."

The film has a very intriguing, realistic opening. I was hooked very quickly. It's actually a high concept idea that's very easy to decribe. I won't describe it as I like to stay spoiler free as much as possible though it's probably obvious and is ironic as the rest of the film is much more art house in its aspirations and difficult to describe without saying exactly what happens. Due to the setting, the pacing, the ecclectic ensemble cast and the fact that McDormand starred in Fargo [10], the comparissons to Coen Brothers films will be abundant. This is good and bad - you don't want to be Coen-lite otherwise what's the point? Just go and watch a Coen Brothers film instead. And I'm pleased to say the film carves out enough of its own distinctive ideas and moments to differentiate itself. It has the slightly offbeat Fargo-esque accents in that this isn't LA or NY, yet the swearing and the realistic but kooky vibe is something director/writer Irishman Martin McDonagh has honed for a while now, ever since his first short film but more notably in the charmingly vulgar In Brugges [8] so it has an inflection all of it's own.

Carl Showalter: "You ever been to Minneapolis?" Gaear Grimsrud: "Nope." Carl Showalter: "Would it... kill you to say something?" Gaear Grimsrud: "I did." Carl Showalter: ""No." That's the first thing you've said in the last four hours. That's, a fountain of conversation there, buddy. That's a geyser."

It does have a weird structure. Although it has 3 in the title the film itself does not have 3 acts, which is funny to me (if there's a bad cinematic structure joke out there then I haven't heard it!). It has two long acts to my mind and there's a clear delineation at the half way point where things change because of the dramatic actions of the always impressive Woody Harrelson. And I assume this is deliberate as I think the film is trying to be like real life, no real beginnings, acts or endings. We have a lot of plausible conversations, a realistic set-up and a very realistic meditation of the corrosive (and by bizarre turns healing) power of grief, anger, fury and loss. Interjected there is much comedy because, after all, gallows humour is sometimes the best and weirdly healing so it's tonally appropriate.

Carl Showalter: "Oh, fuck it, I don't have to talk, either, man! See how you like it. Just total fuckin' silence. Two can play at that game, smart guy. We'll just see how you like it. [Long pause] Total silence."

I liked the racist deputy played by the always fun Sam Rockwell (...um I mean I like the role as a protagonist and the way he's played, not his racism) and it's his character who probably has the biggest arc which was unexpected. I didn't think the easy pop at the Catholic priest was particularly smart (maybe the director has some beef here?) and I think it's a bit black and white in its racial politics (only the white guys are evil... which maybe we are?) but it has enough intelligence and nuance elsewhere that I don't mind this. Oh, and it's often very, very funny. Also check out this incredible poster:

Carl Showalter: "You know, it's proven that second-hand smoke is, uh, carcin-... uh, you know, cancer related."

FINAL ANALYSIS: I enjoyed it very, very much. Like life, it's not a perfect movie, but it's ambitious in what it's trying to tackle themeatically. It's adult, mature, it's moving, ocassionally shocking, it's intriguing right from the off and McDormand has created a character for the ages. If it does slide into having a bit of a lack of direction now and again, that's suitable for the reality of the subject. In fact, because of it's lack of easy definition and pigeon-hole-ableness (yup, I've just had to invent a new word to describe it) it's made my review slightly unfocused and vague. But please don't take this as a negative as the film is often terrific.

SCORE: I'm giving it a shaky 9. Some people will find it meandering and unfocused. Some will love it. But I think Francis McDormand's solid10 will bag her an oscar... ...which is very funny because I'd give this year's male supporting Oscar to Steve Buschemi (who played Carl Showalter in Fargo) for The Death Of Stalin [8... but Buscemi is on a 10]. What is this? 1996? Real good then.

ALTERNATIVE TITLE: Ograf.