Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Viereinhalb. Es fehlte nur wenig und der Film konnte perfekt werden. Insbesondere der Schluss, der zufriedenstellender den brillant ausgeschliffenen Konflikt von dramatischen Motiven und menschlichen Schicksalen nutzen konnte. Wir wissen ja, dass es mit so einem Ende mehr "arthousemäßig“ wirkt und nicht schlampig gemacht. Mit so originellen und intensiven Situationen, in welche die Figuren geraten, und mit so ausgezeichneten Schauspielleistungen ist er immer noch das Beste von den Oscar-Nominierungen für das Jahr 2017. (27.02.2018)

I consider it an art to write and shoot a drama in which there is a hardly a scene where someone doesn’t say “bitch”, “fucker” or “cunt” (and most of characters don’t deserve a kinder form of address), in which we see a finger nail penetrated with a dental drill and which is still funny, true and touching (I think the theme of insurmountable grief is more nuanced here than in Wind River). Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a remarkably variable film and Martin McDonagh’s best so far (and I really like In Bruges). ___ At moments, I found it irritating due to its theatricality (precisely timed arrivals of characters on the scene, pauses for laughter, operatic arias) and a somewhat infantile attempt at incorrectness, but the film also offers so many surprises and so many refreshing changes of tone and has such an inventive narrative structure (there are not just three billboards, but also three characters whose stories McDonagh develops and intertwines in various ways) that these shortcomings are acceptable. With the chosen composition and multiple twists, McDonagh pursues a higher goal; he doesn’t play by the rules only for the sake of not playing by the rules, and though the film is by no means a gem stylistically (only a one-shot scene with an angry Rockwell will remain in the viewer’s memory), the structure of the story abundantly compensates for that, at least in my eyes. ___ In the context of his work so far, I find it notable how McDonagh again plays with standard narrative conventions and audience expectations (you definitely should not expect a straightforward story about a flawless protagonist who overcomes a few obstacles, uncovers the cause of her suffering and finds inner peace), just less explicitly than in Seven Psychopaths, thanks to which the characters are more believable despite the absurd exaggeration of the whole world and the film also conveys something thought-provoking about our own presence and not just about fictional worlds. 90% (16.01.2018)

As soon as I’ve seen this film I remembered Fargo from the nineties. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri are pretty similar, especially in the quality of acting performances and the American small-town atmosphere. Ebbing is a typical American hole, but a wide range of interesting characters lives there. And these characters are so well written that you are bating your breath and just desperately wonder what is going to happen to them in the following minutes. Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell have roles so powerful that it almost left me speechless. The screenwriter and director in one person, Martin McDonagh, played with their characters so much that you encounter several shocking moments which impact the course of the whole film. There is even one scene with Sam Rockwell in the lead, which immediately placed among the best scenes I’ve seen in the recent years. Overall, I have to admit, that although there is some absurdity in the story, it is still one of the best American crime films I’ve seen in the recent years. While watching it I was reminded of the older American crime movies that I love and at the same time I was assured that the American cinematography can still amaze. (21.01.2018)

McDonagh (how happy would I be to be able to write this at last) also brings his original mixture of satire, blackis black incorrect humor and ancient tragedy into movie theaters... And incredibly well-written ambivalent characters and dialogs that can hit the nail on the head to such extent that it gives you the shivers but even though you will be rolling on floor laughing. So it works for him as a real, incorrect comedy, in which things that are not supposed to be said out loud are said out loud, as well as the non-violent but apt satire of Western society, the tragedy of one (more) loss or neowestern. So far, he had kept it just for theater stagings. However, he did a disservice; Although it is his best movie (especially the first half is brilliant in terms of screenwriting ), but in comparison with the Pillowman or the Lonesome West, it is still a much worse. Especially because of the final third, when it unexpectedly runs out of breath, it doesn't progress much and all the characters except the duo Mildred / Dixon are a bit forgotten. And that´s kind of reprehensible. Even so, the first and last one is saved by the great cast and the fact that, as a director, he knows exactly when to use the striking message and when, on the contrary, to let the silence do the job through guilty look. (17.01.2018)

Martin McDonagh is back and he has once again come up with another original, funny, gritty and entertaining story that will grab you by the heart. The acting is absolutely superb: Woody Harrelson as the sheriff, Sam Rockwell as the sidekick cop, and the excellent main character played by Frances McDormand, who doesn't give a shit about anyone, talks like hell and still starts a war with the police. The film has a nice retro American backwoods vibe, some funny yet powerful scenes and keeps a decent pace that thankfully prevents you from getting bored. Personally, I would have liked more violence similar to Seven Psychopaths and perhaps a more escalated finale, but otherwise it's undoubtedly quality filmmaking in every respect that shouldn't be missed this year. 80% (07.01.2018)

After the problematic and scripturally completely unmanageable Seven Psychopaths, Martin McDonagh returned in full form and followed up on the success of In Bruges. It has the same poetics and the same work with characters, and perhaps there is a bit more absurdity here. In Bruges seemed to me to be more precise, as everything fit perfectly and fell into place. This film drags a bit in places, but the entertainment is exceptional and Three Billboards will definitely be among the best films I will see this year in terms of new films. Martin McDonagh can not only entertain, but his work has a broader impact. When I compare his work to Tarantino's, he is several levels higher. Unfortunately, Tarantino has not come close to what he accomplished in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri in any of his films after Jackie Brown. I don't want to be cruel, but maybe he wouldn't even achieve that if all his films were combined. Where Tarantino squanders the potential of great actors, Martin McDonagh can squeeze the best out of his colleagues. Frances McDormand is delicious, Sam Rockwell brilliantly balances on the border of parody, and both of them portray characters that fit perfectly into the idea of the American South full of uncompromising and incorrect characters distrustful of the system and always willing to take their own idea of justice into their own hands. Overall impression: 90%. (04.02.2018)

The Three Billboards is a good watch. In terms of direction, it is a great success, with a lot of original ideas (the nail, throwing out of the window). McDonagh moreover came up with a hard-to-categorize story about a mother who uses an unorthodox method of rousing the police to find her daughter’s murderer. Cruel humor alternates with serious topics and, despite a certain theatricality, the picture retains an incredible level of plausibility. Top-notch acting performances, a great soundtrack by Burwell. The less I tell you about it, the better. (19.01.2018)

Wind River 2, in summer. Less literal in the screenplay, with slightly more sophisticated and extremely unorthodox characters, with the absence of an action interlude. A gem not lacking a load of peculiar black humour. (17.02.2018)

Martin McDonagh hat es wieder geschafft, etwas Ausgezeichnetes zu schreiben und zu drehen. Und damit könnte eigentlich meine Rezension enden. Je weniger das Publikum über den Film weiß, desto mehr wird es ihn genießen. Ich mag diese schönen unberechenbaren Geschichten, in denen jederzeit etwas völlig Unerwartetes passieren kann. Von der tollen Frances McDormand und dem wie immer ausgezeichneten und diesmal ganz anderen Sam Rockwell war ich absolut begeistert. Und jetzt werde ich wirklich nicht mehr schreiben. (18.01.2018)

McDonagh has made a film where a seemingly open ending brilliantly closes the intertwining mosaic of human actions and leaves the viewer wondering what they have just experienced and what to look for behind it all. Don't hesitate to go and see it in the cinema, there may not be something of this quality for another year. (12.01.2018)

Die raue Geschichte einer Frau, die trotz der vielen Knüppel, die ihr vor die Füße geworfen wurden, Gerechtigkeit erreichen wollte, ist ein Schaufenster atemberaubender Leistungen (die Oscars sind in diesem Fall wohlverdient) und ein starkes Thema, das keinen Zuschauer kalt lässt. Den Filmemachern ist es gelungen, überzeugend die Atmosphäre einer düsteren Kleinstadt zu vermitteln, in der es völlig normal ist, rassistisch zu sein und Menschen ohne mit der Wimper zu zucken aus dem Fenster zu werfen, und in der Gerechtigkeit ein knappes Gut ist. Ich hätte mir das Ende des Films vielleicht ein wenig anders vorgestellt, aber ich gebe ihm trotzdem bessere vier Sterne. (20.03.2020)

Filmchallenge 2018 - USA. Ich kann mich nie dessen erwehren, bei einigen Autoren, Filmen und Schauspielern hohe Erwartungen zu haben. Umso stärker ist dann die Enttäuschung, wenn es nicht klappt. McDonaghs Theaterstücke im Schauspielklub liebe ich, ich habe mich vor allem bei A Behanding in Spokane königlich amüsiert. Ebenso wie Brügge sehen ... und sterben? Kult geworden ist, wenn die Sprache auf Brügge kommt, bringe ich mit fast jedem das Gespräch auf jenen Film. Nun, und dann kamen die Golden Globes und die damit verbundenen zu großen Erwartungen. Leider gingen meine diesmal mit denen des Herrn Künstler nicht konform. Ich wartete immer, wann endlich sich die Handlung entwickeln würde, wann etwas Interessantes, Außerordentliches passiert, und es tat sich irgendwie nichts. Auch seine Theaterstücke sind ein Gemisch an Genres, doch immer überwiegt eines, in diesem Fall aber überwiegt keines und reißt die Handlung durch nichts heraus. Die schauspielerischen Leistungen von Mc Dormand und Rockwell sind sehr anständig, doch sind sie einen Oscar wert? Ich bin wirklich enttäuscht, es ist kein Durchfaller, aber ganz sicher auch kein Film des Jahres. (03.02.2018)

If it hadn't been for a few illogicalities, I'd add a fifth star. The film was otherwise excellent. I was immediately drawn into the story and was disappointed to see the final credits roll. I couldn't believe 115 minutes had passed. The story was well written and thought-provoking. It lacked a typical good guy (thankfully). Instead, it provided a decent amount of black humor and cynicism, so I could have a great time. Three performances stuck in my mind: Frances McDormand made me remember Olive Kitteridge, Woody Harrelson’s performance was also excellent, but it was Sam Rockwell and his redneck cop that just blew my mind. (14.04.2018)

I hope this is the film that dominates the Oscars. The acting is absolutely precise, but it’s also equally precise in terms of directing and screenwriting. Martin McDonagh has an incredibly steady hand, and he handles the serious subject matter in such a way that you can still feel some exaggeration and very, very dark humor in the background. It works great from start to finish. (03.02.2018)

Martin McDonagh can transfer emotion from the screen to the viewer like few others. He immediately puts me in mind of P.T. Anderson, whose Punch-Drunk Love or Boogie Nights gave me a similarly powerful and intense emotional experience. McDonagh, of course, has the backing of the best of the best, as Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell deliver absolutely overwhelming performances. Prior to my first viewing, I imagined Three Billboards as a black-humor drama set in a segregated community where idiosyncratic rules predominate (because the American South and because time often stands still there). I was then pretty surprised to get what was actually a very sad and sensitive story of one bereaved mother for whom the tough, out of reach image is a mere shell. A shell, and at the same time protection against being able in her mental state to get the relevant authorities to take any action at all. All that brutally black (sometimes even absurd) humor is great here, of course, but often instead of lightening things up, it has exactly the opposite effect of deepening the depression and despair of the given situations. (28.04.2019)