Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, due in Australian cinemas on New Year’s Day, has left critics reeling and kept audiences talking long after they’ve left the cinema.

The black comedy from playwright Martin McDonagh – the man behind In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths – is about a grieving mother’s dramatic bid to have her daughter’s murderer apprehended.

Powerhouse Frances McDormand plays the aforementioned mother, Mildred, in a turn that’s already generating Oscar buzz, but she’s supported by an ensemble cast of stupendously talented character actors at their career best.

This list includes, but is not limited to, the captivating Sam Rockwell as a rogue cop, Woody Harrelson as a sympathetic police chief, Lucas Hedges as Mildred’s long-suffering son and the ever-excellent John Hawkes as Mildred’s violent ex-husband.

Brutal, hilarious and entirely original – Three Billboards is a masterpiece of moviemaking.

Hit play to watch our quick video review below