A truly great trailer entices viewers to watch a soon-to-be-released film without revealing too much of the story — particularly not the narrative’s key twists, best jokes or scares, or the entire film’s trajectory. These skillfully ambiguous trailers are no longer the norm as it’s not uncommon to finish watching a preview for a movie and feel as if you’ve just seen the whole thing; but occasionally a studio finds this balance of creating temptation through vagueness that convinces moviegoers to head to the theatres once it’s released. Fox Searchlight appears to have done so with the trailer for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
After several months pass without a lead in her daughter’s murder, Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) rents the space on the three billboards leading into her town asking Chief Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) why no arrests have been made in her daughter’s case. Her brazen and public demand for answers ruffles a lot of feathers, leading to several confrontations with her fellow town’s folk — some of whom also experience the extent of her wrath, particularly Willoughby’s second-in-command, Officer Jason Dixon (Sam Rockwell).
There is absolutely no doubt the highlight of this nearly three-minute trailer is McDormand’s character and her seemingly exceptional, angry performance. Harrelson and Rockwell are also amusing, though there’s definitely more to know about each of them. The film has somewhat of a Coen Brothers feel, but writer/director Martin McDonagh has his own flavour that shines through the cleverly violent preview. He has proven adept at dark comedies, having entertained audiences with the sharp-witted In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths, and this film looks like it will hit the same humorous marks. The film will be released later in 2017.
