Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri | *SPOILERS* Discussion

Man, this is a pretty special movie. I love how McDonagh can so easily tiptoe between comedy and tragedy. It's so rare to be able to see a movie that does that.

For example, the scene when Chief Willoughby is questioning Mildred about the dentist incident. One minute you're laughing at some ridiculously witty barbs the characters are throwing at each other. The next moment you get this brilliantly human moment where Willoughby coughs up blood on Mildred. He's mortified and apologizing profusely. She calls him 'baby' and is so understanding/sensitive. It's hard to write this stuff, and it's even harder to get actors to pull this off so convincingly.

You're laughing one moment and then you get the flashback of her daughter sarcastically saying she hopes she gets raped and killed and Mildred saying I hope so too. You're laughing one moment, and then you feel like you got run over by an 18-wheeler moments later.

I'm just seriously impressed with how almost all the little things are perfect. Like the scene where the guy comes into the shop and throws the figurine at Mildred. He then proceeds to toy with her about the death of Willoughby and the death of her daughter. She asks him this series of questions. She remains purposeful but as he gets closer to the death of her daughter in his mocking statements, Frances McDormand changes inflection perfectly. You get this sense Mildred is trying to remain tough but she's on the verge of breaking. Sam Rockwell acts brilliantly with his eyes in the hospital after Jason is burned.

As far as things that bothered me, somebody in the other thread mentioned Willoughby's wife's accent. I felt like it changed while watching it as well. That was a little off-putting. I also know you sort of have to suspend disbelief at times with some of McDonagh's movies. I'm fine doing that with the dentist incident and the kicking kids at school. The cops probably felt legitimately bad for her and had some sympathy. But I have no idea how Jason does all that stuff to Red with no repercussions. He destroyed the shop, punched the secretary in the face, beat up Red and threw him out of a second story window in front of the new chief of police who had no attachment to him at the time. I just was baffled how he never is even detained or anything.