What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 1st February 2018.

You may have noticed that I was missing in action these past few weeks. Well, yes I was, holidaying in South-East Asia to be exact and more specifically in Laos and Thailand, but now I have returned to all things cinematic with my first update since early in January. In the meantime, though, what have I missed? In terms of cinematic offerings 'All The Money In The World', 'The Darkest Hour', 'The Shape Of Water', 'I, Tonya', 'The Post' and 'Sweet Country' to name but a few. As these are still doing the rounds on general release, watch out for my future Reviews here at Odeon Online as I catch up.

Also Awards Season continued with the Golden Globe Awards, the International AACTA Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards all occurring in my overseas absence. In summary here is an abridged list of those winners & grinners in case you missed it.

International AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) Awards - 5th January 2018 presented by Daniel MacPherson from The Avalon, Hollywood, Los Angeles.
* 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' - Winner, Best Screenplay to Martin McDonagh, Best Film and Best Supporting Actor to Sam Rockwell.
* 'I, Tonya' - Winner, Best Actress to Margot Robbie and Best Supporting Actress to Alison Janney.
* 'The Darkest Hour' - Winner, Best Actor to Gary Oldman.
* 'Dunkirk' - Winner, Best Director to Christopher Nolan.

Golden Globe Awards - 7th January 2018 presented by Seth Meyers from the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills.
* 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' - Winner, Best Actress to Frances McDormand, Best Supporting Actor to Sam Rockwell, Best Drama Film, and Best Screenplay to Martin McDonagh.
* 'Lady Bird' - Winner, Best Musical of Comedy Film, and Best Actress to Saoirse Ronan.
* 'The Darkest Hour' - Winner, Best Actor to Gary Oldman.
* 'The Disaster Artist' - Winner, Best Actor to James Franco.
* 'I, Tonya' - Winner, Best Supporting Actress to Alison Janney.
* 'The Shape of Water' - Winner, Best Director to Guillermo del Toro and Best Original Score to Alexandre Desplat.
* 'Coco' - Winner, Best Animated Feature.
* 'In The Fade' - Winner, Best Foreign Language Film.

Screen Actors Guild Awards - 21st January 2018 presented by Kristen Bell from the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles.
* 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' - Winner, Best Actress to Frances McDormand, Best Supporting Actor to Sam Rockwell and, Outstanding Performance by a Cast.
* 'The Darkest Hour' - Winner, Best Actor to Gary Oldman.
* 'I, Tonya' - Winner, Best Supporting Actress to Alison Janney.
* 'Wonder Woman' - Winner, Best Performance by a Stunt Ensemble.
* Life Time Achievement Award - Winner, Morgan Freeman.

This week we launch with a true story based around the world of high stakes poker, and one particular lady who runs underground tournaments but ultimately gets in way deeper than she ever could have imagined, and then we turn to a 1950's London era high profile fashion designer and how his overbearing and controlling quirks, foibles and routines ultimately succumb to the love of a (perhaps not so) good woman. Next up is an LA based crime drama heist action offering of cat & mouse as the good cops go after the renegade bad dudes intent own robbing the Federal Reserve amidst explosions aplenty, a hail of bullets, close quarter combat and lots of effing and blinding; before wrapping up with a complete change of pace in the form of a documentary from the National Geographic people about one woman's efforts spanning six decades to learn more about our nearest relative from the animal kingdom.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four latest release films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are here warmly invited to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon experience during the week ahead.

'MOLLY'S GAME' (Rated M) - Written and Directed in his fimmmkaing debut, Aaron Sorkin, has here based his first film on the memoir 'Molly's Game: From Hollywood's Elite to Wall Street's Billionaire Boys Club, My High-Stakes Adventure in the World of Underground Poker' by Molly Bloom. The Molly Bloom in question here is a former American poker entrepreneur who in April 2013 was charged with running a high-stakes poker game that originated in the Viper Room in Los Angeles and attracted wealthy individuals and business tycoons, sports figures, Hollywood celebrities including Tobey Maguire, Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio and Macauley Caulkin amongst others, and the Russian Mob. She was cleared of many charges and sentenced in 2014 to one year of probation, a $1,000 fine, and 200 hours of community service. The film Premiered at TIFF back in early September last year, and went on release in the US on Christmas Day 2017 and has received much critical acclaim for Sorkin's screenplay and the performances of its principal cast. Costing US$30M to make, the film has so far grossed US$46M, has received much positive press, and has garnered so far three wins and 33 other nominations, some which are still at the decision pending stage including the Academy Award and BAFTA nod for Best Adapted Screenplay.

And so based on a true story, this crime drama stars Jessica Chastain as Molly Bloom, a world class moguls skier who while qualifying for the 2002 Winter Olympic Game suffers a serious injury so ending her Olympic aspirations. Licking her rounds and instead of moving to law school as was her original plan, she moves to Los Angeles and in time she become involved in the running of underground high stakes poker games for the world of the rich and famous, where she makes plenty of money in tips. Fast forward and with her accumulated knowledge of the game of poker and the network of high profile connections made, Molly goes it alone and proves to be very successful at her new found vocation in life. When things go south for Molly in LA she heads to New York to start afresh, and there too she proves successful, attracting the interests in the Russian Mob. At this point the FBI begin sniffing around into her affairs culminating in them shutting down her operations. She enlists the help of high profile and highly priced lawyer Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba) to help clear her name, while at the same time penning her memoir. Kevin Costner, Michael Cera and Chris O'Dowd also star.

'PHANTOM THREAD' (Rated M) - this historical drama film set in the world of the 1950's London high fashion scene was Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and stars Daniel Day-Lewis in reportedly his last film role after announcing his retirement last year. Day-Lewis is Reynolds Woodcock, a renowned fashion designer famed for creating garments and dresses for members of the high society. He is controlling and obsessive in his nature and a creature of habit and routine. His business partner is his sister Cyril Woodcock (Lesley Manville) who manages his affairs, directs the day to day operations and who exerts enormous influence over his life. Until Reynolds falls for waitress Alma Elson (Vicky Krieps) and in time she moves in with him acting as his muse, assistant and lover. This angers Cyril initially, but she comes around as Alma wins her over. The couple bicker and fight almost constantly because of her perceived failings under Reynold's controlling and demanding regime, but ultimately love conquers all, and despite the differences and the challenges that lie ahead their devout love for one another will overcome the most difficult hurdles. Made for US$35M the film has so far grossed US$11M, has received high Critical praise and has garnered to date 26 award wins and another 69 nominations including six Academy Award and four BAFTA nominations yet to be announced. 

'DEN ON THIEVES' (Rated MA15+) - Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Christian Gudegast, this American action heist drama film was released Stateside in mid-January and has so far taken US$33M from its US$30M Budget outlay, and is the recipient of generally mixed Reviews. The story here follows Nick O'Brien (Gerard Butler) a hard-drinking leader of the 'Regulators', an elite unit of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Ray Merrimen (Pablo Schreiber) an ex-Marine and recently paroled leader of the 'Outlaws', a gang of former military men who use their expertise and tactical skills to evade the law. O'Brien and Merrimen have history together and its not all good, with the former investigating the latter for months and the latter holding a grudge against the former for killing one of his crew. O'Brien, Merrimen and their respective teams soon find themselves on a direct collision course in a classic and perhaps predictable game of cat & mouse as the criminals hatch a scheme for a seemingly impossible heist, on the city's Federal Reserve Bank. The film also stars O'Shea Jackson Jnr. and 50 Cent.

'JANE' (Rated Exempt) - this American Biographical Documentary film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Brett Morgan and saw its World Premiered at TIFF in September last year. Telling the story of Jane Goodall, a British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace. She is considered to be the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, and is best known for her 55+ year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees since she first went to Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania in 1960. She is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, and she has worked extensively on conservation and animal welfare matters. She has served on the board of the Nonhuman Rights Project since its founding in 1996. This film, taken from over one hundred hours of never before seen footage that had been buried in the National Geographic archives for over fifty years, charts the young Jane Goodall, untrained, but steadfast in her beliefs that challenge the male dominated scientific views of the time with her chimpanzee research that ultimately revolutionises peoples understanding of the natural world in which we live. Critically acclaimed the film has so far picked up 23 award wins and another 23 nominations, and goes on release at limited screens around Australia this week.

With four new release films this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephiles afterwards here at Odeon Online, and meanwhile, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 7th - 13th January 2018.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Sam Riley does on 8th January - check out my tribute to this Actor and Singer Birthday Lad turning 38, at the end of this feature.

Do you also share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer, Singer/Songwriter or Composer of repute; or have an interest in whoever might notch up another year in the coming seven days? Then, look no further! Whilst there will be too many to mention in this small but not insignificant and beautifully written and presented Blog, here are the more notable and noteworthy icons of the big screen, and the small screen, that you will recognise, and that you might just share your birthday with in the week ahead. If so, Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online!

Sunday 7th January

• Linda Kozlowski - Born 1958, turns 60 - Actress  
• David Caruso - Born 1956, turns 62 - Actor | Producer
• Nicolas Cage - Born 1964, turns 54 - Actor | Producer
• Irrfan Khan - Born 1967, turns 51 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Jeremy Renner - Born 1971, turns 47 - Actor | Producer | Singer | Songwriter

Monday 8th January

• John McTiernan - Born 1951, turns 67 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Sam Riley - Born 1980, turns 38 - Actor | Singer

Tuesday 9th January

• J.K.Simmons - Born 1955, turns 63 - Actor
• Imelda Staunton - Born 1956, turns 62 - Actress
• Joely Richardson - Born 1965, turns 53 - Actress 

Wednesday 10th January

• Fran Walsh - Born 1959, turns 59 - Producer | Writer | Songwriter
• Walter Hill - Born 1942, turns 76 - Director | Producer | Writer 
• Jemaine Clement - Born 1974, turns 44 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director | Singer | Songwriter | Musician

Thursday 11th January

• Jason Connery - Born 1963, turns 55 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Amanda Peet - Born 1972, turns 46 - Actress

Friday 12th January

• Kirstie Alley - Born 1951, turns 67 - Actress | Producer | Writer
• Anthony Andrews - Born 1948, turns 70 - Actor | Producer
• John Lasseter - Born 1957, turns 61 - Producer | Director | Writer | Animator | Voice Actor
• Oliver Platt - Born 1960, turns 58 - Actor
• Rob Zombie (aka Robert Bartleh Cummings) - Born 1965, turns 53 - Producer | Director | Writer | Actor | Singer | Songwriter | Composer 
• Aaron Seltzer - Born 1974, turns 44 - Director | Writer | Producer | Songwriter

Saturday 13th January

• William B. Davis - Born 1938, turns 80 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Editor
• Bill Bailey - Born 1965, turns 53 - Writer | Actor | Television Personality | Singer | Composer
• Patrick Dempsey - Born 1966, turns 52 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Michael Pena - Born 1976, turns 42 - Actor | Producer
• Orlando Bloom - Born 1977, turns 41 - Actor | Producer
• Liam Hemsworth - Born 1990, turns 28 - Actor
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Born 1961, turns 57 - Actress | Producer | Singer  

Samuel Peter Riley was born in the village of Menston, West Yorkshire, England, UK to mother Amanda, a nursery school teacher, and father Andrew Riley a textile agent. He attended the co-ed independent preparatory Malsis School, in Crosshills in North Yorkshire (which has subsequently closed), and then the co-ed independent secondary Uppingham School, in Uppingham, Rutland. He played with the National Youth Theatre for a time, and then for a few years in the early 2000's, Riley was the frontman for Leeds based band '10,000 Things' with whom he enjoyed some success, releasing their first single on an independent record label in 2002. From there the band signed up with Polydor for a self-titled album, before disbanding in 2005. Riley's brother George, played bass with the band. 

In 2002 Riley secured his small screen debut in a couple of made for television films - 'Tough Love' with Ray Winstone and Adrian Dunbar, and then 'Lenny Blue'. It would be five years before another screen appearance, with the short 30 minute made for television comedy movie 'Sound' in 2007. His breakout role came later that year, in the Anton Corbijn Directed musical biographical drama charting the early rise and untimely death of Ian Curtis (as played by Riley) the enigmatic singer of post-punk band Joy Division in 'Control'. The film was critically acclaimed picking up 31 award wins and another 34 nominations, including several wins and nods for Riley's convincing performance as the troubled lead singer who committed suicide at the age of just 23.

Next up in 2008 was the Sci-Fi fantasy drama offering 'Franklyn' with Eva Green, Ryan Phillippe, Bernard Hill, Art Malik and Susannah York seeing out the decade. 2010 launched with '13' with Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke and Ray Winstone and then that same year the remake of the classic 'Brighton Rock' based on the Graham Greene novel of the same name released in 1938 and first made into a feature film in 1948 with David Attenborough and William Hartnell. Directed by Rowan Joffe this crime thriller '60's set period piece also starred Helen Mirren, John Hurt, Andy Serkis, Andrea Riseborough and Phil Davis.

German comedy 'Woman in Love' came next in 2011 in which Riley was cast alongside his wife of then two years Alexandra Maria Lara, followed by 'On The Road' in 2012, Directed by Walter Salles based on the book by Jack Kerouac and starring Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Amy Adams, Elisabeth Moss, Kirsten Dunst and Viggo Mortensen. Neil Jordan's Directed fantasy horror drama 'Byzantium' with Saoirse Ronan , Gemma Arterton and Caleb Landry Jones was also released in 2012.

The Austrian/German Co-Produced mystery Western 'The Dark Valley' came next in 2014 picking up 26 award wins and five other nominations from around the mostly European circuit, with the Disney Studios live action dark fantasy spin on the tale of Sleeping Beauty with 'Maleficent' also starring Angelina Jolie in the title role, with Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Brenton Thwaites. The film grossed US$759M from its circa US$220M budget outlay, and a sequel is in the works apparently with Jolie set to reprise her role. 2015 saw the British/French/Belgian Co-Produced WWII romantic drama film 'Suite Francaise' with Michelle Williams, Kristen Scott Thomas, Ruth Wilson, Margot Robbie, Matthias Schoenaerts and Riley's wife, Alexandra Maria Lara once again. The film generated largely positive press, but failed to make back less than half of its production budget in Box Office Receipts, which closed at just over US$9M.

The 'romantic' action horror offering 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' followed up in 2016 with Lily James, Charles Dance, Matt Smith, Lena Headey and Jack Huston. That same year Riley lent his voice talents, together with John Boyega, to the children's animated series 'Tinkershrimp & Dutch' which has so far had a very limited run of just five episodes of five minutes each. Ben Wheatley's Boston set 1978 shoot 'em up film 'Free Fire' with Armie Hammer, Sharlto Copley, Cillian Murphy, Noah Taylor, Jack Reynor, Patrick Bergin and Brie Larson was released in 2107 as was the German produced childrens adventure comedy 'Robbi, Tobbi und das Filewatuut' which also starred Riley's wife once more Alexandra Maria Lara.

Bringing us up to date is the television mini-series 'SS-GB' in which Riley stars in all five episodes of the first season so far as Douglas Archer, a British homicide detective investigating a murder in a German-occupied England in a parallel universe where the Nazis won World War II. Also starring James Cosmo, Kate Bosworth and Jason Flemyng. Currently in post-production is 'Triple Word Score' a drama about a missing son, and the fathers love of the 'Scrabble' word game that leads him on a hunt for an online opponent in the game, that just may be that missing son. Also starring Bull Nighy, Jenny Agutter and Tim McInnerny.

All up Riley has nineteen Acting credits to his name. He has so far garnered seven award wins and ten further nominations, the most of which were for his role in 'Control'. He was nominated for the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2008 too. In 2009 he married German Actress Alexandra Maria Lara and together they have a son, Ben, born in early 2014. Aside from his acting and early singing career, Riley has also carved out a place in modelling, having successfully modelled for British fashion house 'Burberry' in 2008, in 2014 for 'Ermenegildo Zegna' and in 2015 he was named as one of the Top 50 Best Dressed Men in Britain by GQ magazine.

Sam Riley - has worked across just about all genres including fantasy, horror, biographical, comedy, crime, Western, historical, musical, animation and foreign language; appears to be quite choosy about his roles and his output; is nonetheless in demand but prefers to be out of the spotlight living in relative safety and isolation in Germany. Keep up the good, albeit selective, work Sam and we'll keep watching. Happy Birthday to you, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI : Tuesday 2nd January 2018.

'THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI' which I saw earlier this week, following its Australian release on New Years Day, is a black comedy crime drama film Written, Directed and Co-Produced by British/Irish playwright, screen writer and film maker Martin McDonagh whose previous feature film credits are 'In Bruges' and 'Seven Psychopaths'. The film Premiered at the Venice International Film Festival back in early September and then TIFF later that month taking out the top prize - The People's Choice Award. Since then the film has been shown at numerous film festivals and has received widespread critical acclaim, so far picking up 49 award wins and a further 140 nominations including six Golden Globe nominations, four SAG nominations and five AACTA International nods with the winners & grinners yet to be announced. The film opened in the US in early November, went on general release in Australia on 1st January and in the UK on 12th January. Having cost US$12M to make, the film has so far grossed US$24M. Apparently, McDonagh gained inspiration for the premise of the film after seeing billboards about an unsolved crime while travelling 'somewhere down in the Georgia, Florida, Alabama corner'. Of the event that inspired the film, McDonagh stated 'the rage that put a bunch of billboards like that up was palpable and stayed with me'. Eventually he was inspired to create the fictional scenario around such a situation, into the film we have today.

The film follows a mothers plight, who after seven months have passed by without a culprit in her daughter's violent rape and murder case, Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand), a small town shop assistant, makes a bold move and rents three abandoned roadside billboards close by to her home in Ebbing, Missouri. She rents the billboards from Ebbing Advertising managed by Red Welby (Caleb Landry Jones) who states that these have not be leased since 1986, and as the new highway cut off that part of town where the billboards are located, anyone driving along that stretch of road would either have to be lost, or be a complete retard! But she proceeds and lays down an initial one months rental fee of US$5,000 and then orders that each sign in bold lettering portray a specific message directed at William Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), the town's revered Chief of Police. Each of the signs reads, in sequence, 'Raped while dying', 'And still no arrests?', and 'How come, Chief Willoughby?'. 

Willoughby's second-in-command, Officer Jason Dixon (Sam Rockwell) an immature Mummy's Boy with a leaning towards violence, is the first person to come across the billboards as they are being finished off early one evening. He calls Willoughby while he is having dinner with his family, and the next day the pair visit the roadside billboards. It is revealed that Willoughby has terminal pancreatic cancer which only heightens their disapproval of the signage, and the Police Chief thinks this is a personal attack against his character and his standing within the local community. Meanwhile, the towns folk have also become increasingly upset by the three signs, and Mildred and her son Robbie (Lucas Hedges) are threatened and harassed. Mildred however, is unwavering in her stance.

Willoughby visits Mildred at her home and the two talk. He is sympathetic to her cause, but does his best to explain that their investigations into Angela's murder all led to dead ends and for now there is very little else he can do, except to offer her some hope that at a future date something may come to light that will lead to a conviction. Willoughby confides in Mildred that he is terminally ill with cancer, hoping for some sympathy, but he gets none. She replies that his 'secret' is not nearly the secret he believes, and that the whole of Ebbing knows. She further states that the buck stops with him and that he is ultimately responsible for finding her daughters rapist and killer, and if the signs gel him into action then so be it. They won't be much good after he 'croaks'!

Dixon is frustrated and angered by Mildred's lack of respect for the Chief and retaliates by threatening Red, who rented the billboards to her. After discussion with his mother too, Dixon begins getting back at Mildred through her friends and supporters, and arrests her colleague in the shop on exaggerated marijuana possession charges. Mildred confronts Dixon in the Police station.

After an altercation with the vastly overweight town dentist that involves a wobbly tooth, hastily administered anaesthetic, a drill and a fingernail Willoughby brings Mildred in for questioning and threatens to tie her up in red tape for years, when the dentist wishes to press charges against her for assault with a deadly drill. While waiting to be questioned over the incident, there is another heated exchange with Dixon over his alleged beating and torture of a coloured man held in custody. When Dixon is discharged from the interview room and Willoughby is chatting to Mildred, he coughs up blood unexpectedly over her, signifying to them both that his condition is worsening. He is taken by ambulance from the Police Station to the local hospital.

Willoughby discharges himself from hospital as soon as he can, and goes home and takes his two young daughters and his wife Anne (Abbie Cornish) out to the lake for a picnic, where they spend a near perfect afternoon. Later that night, Willoughby goes out to the stable to attend to his horses, and shoots himself in the head, dead. He leaves several suicide notes - one for his wife explaining his actions, and for Mildred which is delivered that day by a distraught Anne to her place of work. In his letter to Mildred he explains that she wasn't a factor in his suicide, but he paid a further US$5,000 in secret to keep the billboards going for another month, finding amusement with the antagonism they would continue to cause her after his death.

Dixon is shocked and distraught by the news of Willoughby's suicide, and violently takes his anger out on Red Welby and his assistant, by forcing entry into the premises, beating him up, and throwing him out of the first floor window onto the street below, and then further beating him on his way back to the Police Station just across the road. All of this is witnessed in broad daylight by Abercrombie (Clarke Peters), Willoughby's replacement, who promptly fires Dixon. Later, the billboards are destroyed by fire in an arson attack, believed to be by Dixon.

Mildred retaliates by fire bombing the Police Station with molotov cocktails under cover of darkness. Believing the Station to be deserted at night, she is unaware that Dixon has gained entry to retrieve a letter left to him also by Willoughby and to return his keys to the place. In the letter Willoughby explains to Dixon that he should learn to let go of his anger and his hatred and be forgiving, loving and see the good in people - the only way of following his dream of becoming a detective. Dixon is able to escape the fire with Angela's case file, but is badly burned in the process. A friend James (Peter Dinklage) witnesses the incident, and fronts up immediately with an alibi for Mildred, claiming that the pair were on a date.

In time, Dixon is discharged from hospital having recovered sufficiently from his burns. Feeling sorry for himself one night and drinking alone in a bar, he overhears a conversation from two guys talking about an incident that one of them was involved in that sounded suspiciously similar to Angela's rape and murder. Dixon takes note of the interstate car number plate and engineers a fight in which he scratches the mans face to gain a DNA sample under his fingernails to compare to the forensics collected at the time of Angela's murder. In the meantime, Mildred is on a dinner date to thank James for his intervention with the alibi, when her abusive and volatile ex-husband Charlie (John Hawkes) enters the restaurant with his nineteen year old bimbo girlfriend Penelope (Samara Weaving) and siddles up to the pair. Charlie admits that in a drunken stupor he set light to the billboards.

Sometime later, the results of the DNA tests come back, but prove that their new suspect is no suspect at all, as he wasn't even in the country at the time of Angela's rape and murder, and was overseas on military service. However, the pair conclude that the man must be guilty of some rape crime otherwise why would be be bragging about it in such a cavalier way to his friend in the bar that night. Mildred and Dixon agree to join forces and drive interstate to where the man lives and kill him anyway, but show some reservation in their mission shortly after leaving. They resolve to have made their final decision by the time they reach their eventual destination.

In this film McDonagh has crafted a great story, fine dialogue and captured memorable performances most notably from Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell, but Woody Harrelson deserves a special mention too. McDormand owns this film with an equally best performance that is up there with her Marge Gunderson in 'Fargo', as the determined, unwavering and relentless woman who's on a mission and she really doesn't care who she steps on along the way. Rockwell plays the racist, discriminating, violent and dumbass cop who you really don't want to cross that comes good in the end so much so that your earlier opinion of him is reversed. And Harrelson plays the approachable, warm hearted, forgiving local pillar of the community who is the big fish in the small pond and with whom you can't help but feel sympathy. Imbued with the darkest humour that starts out with a clever and witty moment of inspiration, and gives way to the deep rooted anger and frustration that drives the human spirit to extremes and in particular some of those residents in small town USA. The film offers twists and turns aplenty and explores on many levels anger, frustration, grief, injustice and the power of forgiveness with a number of laugh out loud moments along the way. One of the best films of the year and a worthy contender come Academy Award time and deserving of the accolades already bestowed upon the film, McDonagh, McDormand and Rockwell. A truly original film, you won't be disappointed.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-