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| Frances McDormand |
By Darlene Donloe
"It seems to me the police department is too busy torturing black folks to solve actual crimes."
----Mildred Hayes
Frances McDormand could easily be arrested for stealing every scene in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. McDormand is not alone. Many in the cast deliver stellar performances, making them awards hopefuls. They include Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Clarke Peters, John Hawkes and Peter Dinklage.
The film, which opened nationwide November 10, 2017, is a master class in acting and story development.
The dark, comedic drama from Academy Award® winner Martin McDonagh (In Bruges), takes place after months have passed without a suspect being arrested for the murder of Mildred Hayes’ (Academy Award® winner Frances McDormand) daughter.
In a move to step up the efforts of the small, Ebbing, Missouri police force, Mildred buys three billboards on the outskirts of town and proceeds to embarrass law enforcement into doing a better job of trying to find the killer.
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| Woody Harrelson and Frances McDormand |
The messages on the billboards are aimed at William Willoughby (Academy Award® nominee Woody Harrelson), the town's chief of police. His second-in-command, Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell), is none too happy with the billboards. Dixon, a momma’s boy who lives at home with his mother, is a violent sort who likes to take matters into his own hands.
This is a dark film with comedic undertones played masterfully by everyone in the cast. Martin McDonagh’s (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths) script is tight and nearly flawless. He draws the audience in with subtle nuances and then lets them dangle a bit on the possibilities.
McDormand’s character, Mildred Hayes, is a tough cookie who doesn’t take guff from anyone, including her former husband, her children (who call her a cunt), the local cops and even strangers who threaten her with harm. Who wouldn’t understand a mother’s grief? To bring attention to the case, Mildred does the unthinkable. It makes those audience members who were clearly on her side begin to rethink their allegiance.
Mildred’s quick anger comes from frustration at not having a conviction for the rape and murder of her daughter. It’s a case that seems to have eluded local law enforcement.
Mildred blames the town’s sheriff (Woody Harrelson) and his cohorts for fumbling the case. She doesn’t care that he’s suffering from a rare form of cancer.
Each one of the characters in this film is well-defined.
This film, while it has many variables is, at its core, about a mother's grief! It's not easy to watch. McDormand peals back the many layers that go along with that grief - which, at times, could reveal itself comically.
This film, while it has many variables is, at its core, about a mother's grief! It's not easy to watch. McDormand peals back the many layers that go along with that grief - which, at times, could reveal itself comically.
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| Frances McDormand and Peter Dinklage |
McDonagh has assembled a sturdy cast to showcase this quirky drama. Three Billboards is one of the best films of 2017. The film is an emotional piece that keeps you entangled in its engrossing storyline.
Three Billboards premiered in Venice and won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Three Billboards, written and directed by Martin McDonagh and produced by Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin and McDonagh, stars Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Abbie Cornish, Lucas Hedges, Zeljko Ivanek, Caleb Landry Jones, Clarke Peters, Samara Weaving with John Hawkes and Peter Dinklage
Three Billboards (Fox Searchlight Pictures) is currently in selected theaters.
On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likable), O (oh, yeah) and E (excellent), Three Billboards gets an E (excellent)
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