Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
After seven 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 Bill Willoughby, the town's revered chief of police. When his second-in-command Officer Jason 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.
Rick reviewedAugust 5, 2025
Incredible film. So many master class performances here. Having spent a good chunk of time living in rural Missouri this felt authentic. The acceptance of racism, bigotry, and violence as “just the way things are” is spot on. Chief Willoughby is the perfect example of this. He’s a mostly decent man that shows compassion and empathy, while turning a blind eye to racism and brutality in his department. It’s such an unsettling mix you would see daily, that I could never come to terms with.
The story is sobering, with an ending that offers little satisfaction. Much like real life, sometimes no matter how hard you try you don’t get the outcome you want, or even worse, no real resolution at all.