But there is a chance at identifying and possibly bringing to "justice" another rapist/murderer of young girls. The fact that the characters in this film were able to evolve and change, not always through direct salvation or attainment of their actual goal (we never find Angie's killer, the dwarf never gets to fall in love, Dixon doesn't become a detective), but find it in other ways (The chief leaves earth on his own terms, Angie's mom for once wishes her ex well rather than giving him the angry reaction he wants, Dixon finds a true suspect through different means), and this keeps up with said theme. That man, the way he rubbed her daughter's death in her face, was indicative of the kind of scum that he was, and the brazen way such people walk amongst us. He lives amongst us with impunity and gets away with it bc of the blind eye we turn to such things for people who mean little to us here, and who are marginalized. He raped and murdered a girl in Iraq or Afghanistan. Wondering why I'm not seeing more about one of the most important themes in the film - the fact that the suspect/soldier/rapist is ironic and symbolic.Įssentially, he is a rapist and murderer. I thought it was a brilliant way of taking the core themes of the film and thrusting them on the audience in a way that leaves you uncomfortable.
#Three billboards outside ebbing missouri metacritic movie#
Instead of giving us an answer, the movie ends and we make the choice just like the main characters. We needed to be in their position of uncertainty to feel the weight of their eventual choice. If we as an audience had definitive proof that the guy wasn't or was guilty I think it could have diluted that message. Instead of being filled with conviction that they know the Truth, they instead admit that they are uncertain and allows themselves to be vulnerable to each other. They decided to make the choice on the way there and in that conversation the film completes its arc. Was he a rapist? Was he just a liar? The film ends with Mildred and Dixon saying they don't know if they should kill the guy. What I'm getting at is McDonagh purposefully put that ambiguity of the gift shop scene in there. And right after that we think she's going to be Mildred and beat the hell out of either her ex or his girlfriend, but she chooses not to. When Dinklage's character James calls Mildred out he basically says that everything has always been her choice and she acts like her hand has been forced. Then you have the more telling choices like Mildred choosing to burn down the police station and we see that if Dixon didn't choose to grab the case file on the daughter, her choice would have literally burned her daughter's case. You have overt choice like Willoughby choosing to kill himself that slaps you in the face with the theme. Choice is what dictates the major elements of the film. I think one of the central themes of this movie is choice. I did have to take a bathroom break) speaks to McDonagh's respect for the viewer. or even just be there to hold her hand as she lay dying.Īnd the fact that this aspect of the crime is never directly remarked upon by any character (as far as I can recall. As a viewer, you have to wonder if she was, in her final moments, praying that her mother or brother might see her and be able to provide help. Since we know that Angela was raped and murdered at the billboards (as evidenced by the scorch marks on the ground), this means that-even as she was enduring all of that fear, pain and suffering-she could see her home. It is worth mentioning that, for me, one of the most tragic moments in the film was the revelation that the billboards were in view of Mildred's house. Even as a viewer well-acquainted with (and appreciative of) his majestically dark sense of humor, I found myself rocked by how bleak "Three Billboards" could be, at certain times. I think it is the best thing McDonagh has done at this point in his career. I saw it last week and enjoyed it tremendously. Woody Harrelson as Sheriff Bill Willoughby.When his second-in-command Officer Dixon, an immature mother’s boy with a penchant for violence, gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing's law enforcement is only exacerbated. If you haven't seen the film but would like to see the result of the poll click here.Īfter months have passed without a culprit in her daughter’s murder case, Mildred Hayes makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at William Willoughby, the town's revered chief of police. If you've seen the film, please rate it at this poll.