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Nov 08, 2017 By Austin Trunick

Just outside of Ebbing, Missouri, there’s a road that no one uses much anymore since the highways went through. On that road sits three old billboards, newly rented for the first time since the mid-1980s. When driving in one direction, they read: “Raped while dying,” “Still no arrests,” and “How come, Chief Willoughby?”

The billboards were purchased by grieving mother Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand), whose teenage daughter Angela was the victim of a horrible, unsolved crime seven months earlier. She believes the local police haven’t done enough to find her child’s killer, and her method of bringing attention to the situation proves more than effective as regional news teams converge on the town.

But, as incompetent as some of the Ebbing PD appears – deputy Dixon (Sam Rockwell) drinks on the job, and is near-illiterate – this isn’t a case of police negligence. The good-natured Chief Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) hit a dead end with his investigation, as DNA evidence came up with no matches and there was a total lack of witnesses to vouch for Angela’s whereabouts during her final hours. It’s a case that weighs heavily on him as he’s slowly dying of pancreatic cancer. But that’s not about to stop Mildred from trying to force the police to solve a perhaps-unsolvable case.

The latest feature written and directed by Martin McDonagh (In Bruges) is crass, violent, and darkly, darkly humorous. (Who else would have the audacity to craft a black comedy premised around a ghastly rape-murder, and maintain a running joke about police brutality?) There’s a stunning amount of wit in McDonagh’s expletive-laden script, but it’s the A-team of actors who give life to the dirty words – side characters are handled by such talented actors as John Hawkes, Peter Dinklage, and Clarke Peters – and ensure each curse lands with perfect timing.

However, potty-mouthed jokes are only one aspect of Three Billboards. There’s a pounding heartbeat throughout the film; every character has superbly-defined desires and pains. McDormand’s grieving Mildred is a tragic character, yet her frequent, destructive actions feel selfish and irrational; the target of her attacks, Harrelson’s Willoughby, seems like a good-natured person who simply doesn’t want this undue embarrassment brought on his family during his final months of life. Three Billboards has a great deal of emotional resonance: several of the film’s biggest laughs came as the audience was fighting back tears.

Author rating: 8/10