Martin McDonagh’s 90% Oscar-winning crime thriller is on TV tonight

With his new movie currently in cinemas, it's a great time to revisit this earlier masterpiece by the writer-director, which is also available on streaming.

The 2017 film follows Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand, Fargo), a mother in the fictional Missouri town of Ebbing, whose teen daughter Angela (Kathryn Newton, Abigail) has been murdered.

Angry over the lack of progress in the police investigation into the killing, she rents three disused billboards near her home and puts up posters criticising William Willoughby (Woody Harrelson, Natural Born Killers), the town's revered chief of police.

"When his second-in-command, Officer Dixon - an immature mother's boy with a penchant for violence - gets involved, the battle is only exacerbated," the plot synopsis adds.

Watch the trailer for Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri right here:

This mix almost feels like it shouldn't work. Yet, thanks to McDonagh's searing writing, the authentic characters, and the multifaceted performances, the picture is a tour de force, one which avoids easy answers in favour of capturing life's complexities and nuances.

If you don't believe us, Three Billboards holds a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score and was nominated for seven Oscars, winning two. Frances McDormand was victorious in the Best Actress category, while Sam Rockwell picked up the Best Supporting Actor trophy.

JOE recently spoke to McDonagh about his latest movie Wild Horse Nine. He picked his favourite Irish movie, before talking about his fascination with anti-heroes and how his latest is his "most political" story yet. You can watch that interview in full below:

Meanwhile, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is airing on TV tonight on Film4 at 11pm. It's also available to stream on Disney+.

Here are the other movies on TV tonight (Tuesday, 10 November).