Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - a nearly perfect movie

[JosephDredd]

*MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS, DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN*


I watched it in theatre last night with my gf and was blown away by it. I've really enjoyed Martin McDonagh's last two movies (In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths) and have really enjoyed watching him go from the stage to the screen.

And I have to tell you that in Three Billboards he's created one of the best movies I've seen in years and a nearly-perfect movie. One of the closest movies I've ever seen to being the perfect movie.

Francis McDormand plays a tired, tough-as-nails mom (whose daughter was violently raped and killed) who puts up three billboards to shame the police chief (Woody Harrelson) into finding her murderer and things spiral out of control from there. Sam Rockwell plays a violent, hate-filled cop who takes the billboards personally as the police chief tries to be fair to McDormand while he battles terminal cancer... meaning the one cop on her side is out of commission when she really is in danger.

The characters are real and gripping, each scene is exquisitely written to deliver layers and layers of information about the town and its citizens and, most importantly, the director makes sure you feel great amounts of sympathy for the bad guys, just to shake up your viewing experience.

The movie really kicks the shit out of the viewer when it sets up scenarios you've seen in other movies (and have come to expect from the genre) then veers away at hard angles to leave your reeling in your seats.

For the climax of the movie, they set up the perfect Hollywood noir/suspense/thriller conclusion and then pull the rug out from under you. It's unexpected and absolutely satisfying.

The writing is top notch, the characters are deep, the acting is immersive (and will pull you in no matter how much you resist) and the plot is entirely unpredictable, but makes perfect sense.

Highly recommended.

 

[Deleted member 220895]

Sam Rockwell's performance was a 12/10

Woody Harrelsons likeability is off the charts.

Movie twist spoiler that will ruin the movie.

Spoiler

It hit me harder than most movies recently when his character off'd himself, and then listening to his letters.

 

[minute bull]

Like .... what's with McDonagh and midgets?

Great trio of actors. Woody Harrelson invests every one of his characters with a special kind of dignity. Always really appealing.

Sam Rockwell has mastered making assholes sympathetic. Very touching. Sam Rocwell is great at touching assholes.

And what can be said about Frances McDormand that hasn't been said before: she's a fucking powerhouse.

 

[Jumpy]

Never heard of it, really want to see it now.

 

[Drain Bamage]

I thought it was completely unbelievable and average

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

Like .... what's with McDonagh and midgets?

Great trio of actors. Woody Harrelson invests every one of his characters with a special kind of dignity. Always really appealing.

Sam Rockwell has mastered making assholes sympathetic. Very touching. Sam Rocwell is great at touching assholes.

And what can be said about Frances McDormand that hasn't been said before: she's a fucking powerhouse.

Have you seen Wilson yet?

 

[minute bull]

Have you seen Wilson yet?

It's on the list.

 

[Medical Marijuana Man]

Good movie that could have been great with a better ending

 

[minute bull]

Spoiler

It hit me harder than most movies recently when his character off'd himself, and then listening to his letters.

Spoiler

There was an old duffer in the audience nearby, who said, "That's a good letter." Said it twice. Like it was the kind of letter he'd want to write?

I was like, "Man, shit just got real."

 

[the muntjac]

I thought it was pretty good as well. There’s a few minor gripes I had, but overall it’s a very entertaining movie.

Spoiler

There was a running theme of finding forgiveness in others and coming to peace with tragedies, or just simply letting things go. Even though the film ends on an ambiguous note, I think the main thing to take from it is that Francis McDormand’s character will have to come to a point where she realizes she’ll never find the killer, and she’ll have to come to peace with that and not let it emotionally destroy her the rest of her life.

 

[Deleted member 220895]

I thought it was pretty good as well. There’s a few minor gripes I had, but overall it’s a very entertaining movie.

Spoiler

There was a running theme of finding forgiveness in others and coming to peace with tragedies, or just simply letting things go. Even though the film ends on an ambiguous note, I think the main thing to take from it is that Francis McDormand’s character will have to come to a point where she realizes she’ll never find the killer, and she’ll have to come to peace with that and not let it emotionally destroy her the rest of her life.

Spoiler

or the end could have been a setup to awesome vengeance based tv show that will never end because she will never find peace. At least that's my pipe dream.

 

[freaky]

I thought it was completely unbelievable and average

Yea who would want to rape her?

 

[minute bull]

 

[mushishi]

Just saw the trailer. Didn't know what it's about. I'll give it a shot. Thanks, moviepass! yeah!

 

[MadSquabbles500]

I watched it in theatre last night with my gf and was blown away by it. I've really enjoyed Martin McDonagh's last two movies (In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths) and have really enjoyed watching him go from the stage to the screen.

And I have to tell you that in Three Billboards he's created one of the best movies I've seen in years and a nearly-perfect movie. One of the closest movies I've ever seen to being the perfect movie.

Francis McDormand plays a tired, tough-as-nails mom (whose daughter was violently raped and killed) who puts up three billboards to shame the police chief (Woody Harrelson) into finding her murderer and things spiral out of control from there. Sam Rockwell plays a violent, hate-filled cop who takes the billboards personally as the police chief tries to be fair to McDormand while he battles terminal cancer... meaning the one cop on her side is out of commission when she really is in danger.

The characters are real and gripping, each scene is exquisitely written to deliver layers and layers of information about the town and its citizens and, most importantly, the director makes sure you feel great amounts of sympathy for the bad guys, just to shake up your viewing experience.

The movie really kicks the shit out of the viewer when it sets up scenarios you've seen in other movies (and have come to expect from the genre) then veers away at hard angles to leave your reeling in your seats.

For the climax of the movie, they set up the perfect Hollywood noir/suspense/thriller conclusion and then pull the rug out from under you. It's unexpected and absolutely satisfying.

The writing is top notch, the characters are deep, the acting is immersive (and will pull you in no matter how much you resist) and the plot is entirely unpredictable, but makes perfect sense.

Highly recommended.

You really make me want to watch this, but I cant watch movies about people getting raped and killed. I just cant. Its too depressing for me.

 

[minute bull]

You really make me want to watch this, but I cant watch movies about people getting raped and killed. I just cant. Its too depressing for me.

It's heartwrenching in its portrayal from a mother's standpoint, but the film largely takes place after the crime. En medias res.

The anxiety's still palpable, but you're not confronted by (too much) horrid imagery. It gets pretty real, though, in some parts -- but not rapey.

 

[Agent Mulder's Hair]

Sam Rocwell is great at touching assholes.

 

[MadSquabbles500]

ok maybe i go watch. Is this netflix or theatres?

 

[JosephDredd]

ok maybe i go watch. Is this netflix or theatres?

It's in theatres. There is no sexual violence whatsoever. Just the regular kind of violence and a lot of heartache and regrets. And moments of unbearable tension.

A lot of critics are calling this a dark comedy, but I've never had a comedy leave me struggling not to cry. It's a gut-wrenching drama that just happens to have a lot of laugh-out-loud lines.

 

[JosephDredd]

Good movie that could have been great with a better ending

I disagree. I think the ending was the best part of a fantastic movie because...

Spoiler

... Dixon ran the DNA of the guy he thinks is the rapist/murderer of Mildred's daughter, but the new police chief tells him that the guy is innocent since he wasn't even in the country at the time. A bit of back-and-forth arguing and we learn the suspect does classified work with the special forces.

Then Dixon and Mildred gear up to confront the man, with Dixon bringing his shotgun. In every other Hollywood movie this is what would happen: they confront the man, an armed confrontation happens, violence/action/etc. then they learn that he WAS the rapist because the military covered up for him.

But we don't see this happen because the movie abruptly ends as they go to confront him. So we've got two possible endings.

One is that he is the killer, but we don't need to see that ending because we've already seen it happen in literally thousands of other movies. We know exactly how that conclusion is going to go.

The other option is that he's innocent of Amanda's rape/murder in which case... we're left to wonder how everyone handles the moment. How will Mildred handle the act of violence they've planned? How will the new, mature Dixon handle the mission of vengeance as he tries to let go of his hate?

I went into the ending of the movie thinking that the guy was the actual rapist/murderer, especially since he taunted Mildred in her store, and that he was being protected by the military. I bought into the entire Hollywood ending that the movie had set up, expecting them to confront him, fight/kill him and then find evidence of his guilt. I was so absolutely surprised and astonished to see them end the movie when they did... it was the typing point of a great movie falling into a typical Hollywood shoot-em-up ending or staying its course as a thoughtful, original, compelling drama.

I loved it. What a great way to fuck with the audience's expectations.