First Take: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri- there’s nothing wrong with a bit of dark comedy

SYNOPSIS:

A mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter’s murder when they fail to catch the culprit.

Martin McDonaugh is a director who has really become known for his unique style of dark comedy mixed with drama, helming the mighty In Bruges and 2012′s underlooked Seven Psychopaths. But in the midst of awards season (sure, I’m late to the party), he’s just put his new film out- and writing this a week removed from Oscar nominations, I can really understand why the voters took to this film.

Directing to his own script once again, McDonaugh is able to craft a very intricate, gripping and brutally topical story that questions not only the morality of the characters but also the way society handles the issues like those depicted in the neatly paced 1 hour 55 minutes of independent goodness we have here. It’s shot brilliantly by Ben Davis, and with another masterful score from Carter Burwell, the technical team behind the camera have achieved some incredible work.

But the real magic is the cast who bring the story to life, and with a lead like Frances McDormand- who is electric throughout, conveying the right sense of emotion and weight to a story like this- you know that you’re on to a winner, especially with a supporting roster that includes Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Caleb Landry Jones and Peter Dinklage putting in some outstanding work- and after seeing the film, I can understand why it’s received so much attention from awards voters, as this is arguably the film to beat.

THE VERDICT

Bold, daring, and with the humour that made his previous works so memorable, Martin McDonaugh has done it once again. Three Billboards is going to take some beating in the final push of the awards season, and with some fantastic performances and a top script, this has guaranteed a few of the big wins already.

RATING: 5/5