Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

"Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" is a 2017 drama starring Frances McDormand as Mildred Hayes. I think McDormand is most famous for her starring role in the movie "Fargo". Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell are key supporting actors.The film is quite powerful, and doesn't provide the easy answers to life's problems that many Hollywood films like to serve up.

The story begins 6 months or so after Mildred's daughter was raped and murdered. Unhappy with the progress of the local police investigation, Mildred rents three billboards on a road outside the town and chides police chief Willoughby (played by Woody Harrelson) for inaction. There are some pretty powerful emotions at play in this film, including strong feelings of guilt and sorrow. Many residents are sympathetic to Chief Willoughby, as they know he is dying of pancreatic cancer. But Mildred is a no nonsense individual on a mission, and is not afraid of confrontation with police, high-school students or local residents.

Police Chief Willoughby and Mildred Hayes

The key characters in the film are well developed, including the ghosts in their past lives that haunt them and their current problems. Help sometimes comes from an unlikely source. This is not a film with the traditional Hollywood bromides or ending, but I enjoyed it for the powerful story and performances.

Postscript: Frances McDormand won the 2018 Best Actress award for her performance in this film.

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Gone Baby Gone (2007)

"Gone Baby Gone" is a 2007 film directed by Ben Affleck. Besides the stars shown in the picture (Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris), I recognized Titus Welliver who stars in the Bosch detective series. The film centers around a kidnapped 4-year-old girl in the Dorchester section of Boston. Private investigator Casey Affleck and his girlfriend partner Michelle Monaghan are hired by the missing child's aunt to augment the police investigation. The language is rough and this is a tough area of town. The mother of the missing girl is a drug addict and there is more to the kidnapping than first appears. Without giving away the plot, the ending of the film poses the question to the viewer as to whether the right choice was made. The cast is very strong and the film well acted.

British TV series "Injustice"

"Injustice" is 2011 five part British TV series about a criminal defense attorney (barrister) who struggles with legal justice versus true justice. The story moves between London and Ipswich and combines a current murder investigation with ramifications of a prior one. James Purefoy plays the barrister William Travers, who suffered a nervous breakdown after successfully defending a car bomb suspect he later learns was actually guilty. He returns to practice to defend a college chum of his accused of murdering a secretary in a hotel room. He makes a point of saying he needs to believe in his client's innocence to defend them. There's a pretty rotten and crooked police inspector involved as well. The show was well done and held my interest. You can see it on Amazon or for free on Vudu (with commercials). You can read more about it at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Injustice_(TV_series)

Hell or High Water (2016)

"Hell or High Water" is a 2016 western crime thriller starring Jeff Bridges, Ben Foster and Chris Pine. It reminded me a great deal of the movie "No Country For Old Men". Bridges is a Texas Ranger who, along with his partner, is in pursuit of a pair of brothers who are robbing banks in Texas to save the family ranch. Again, this is not the typical good guy always wins western movie. There are some surprises. And the ending is open ended for the viewer to imagine what happens next. The film was nominated for a number of academy awards, including "Best Picture." It's worth viewing if you like this kind of film. The acting is top notch. You can read more here: Wikipedia Article

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