Three Billboards Outside Of Ebbing Missouri - Tumblr Posts

Three Billboards - Jason Dixon

——SPOILERS—–

Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri is a complex ensamble movie based around the three billboards our protagonist Mildred sets up about the death and rape of her daughter. Eventhough it is an ensemble piece and every ones acting is incredible, due to an great script written by Martin McDonagh, however Sam Rockwells character Jason Dixon stood out the most to me because of his character arc.

At the beginning of the film I hated him so much, I honestly wanted him to die. His racist, homophobic and pure aggression made him seem unredeemable to me yet as the film progresses we see him change. When he receives that letter from Chief Willoughby there is this moment where he becomes vunrable, he’s lost his idol, friend and his career. The words of his dead partner strike him so much so that he wants to change.

We see this first when the fire breaks out and he saves the rape case file rather then just saving himself showing how he does care.

Then in the hospital he breaks down into tears when facing Red Welby who he mercilessly beat to a pulp. He cries not only due to the guilt of his actions but also that Red still shows him kindness despite his actions.

His character arc ends in the last third where we see a man who hated minorities now being a minority (due to his burns). We are also taught a lesson about not jumping to conclusions as we find out that Jason never burned the billboards and so was scorned for no reason. Yet it is this scarring that has now made him a decent human being.

The last thing that made me forgive him was the beating that he took in order to criminalise the rapist, risking his life in order to do so. It showed that he was a man who believed in justice and was willing to go the extra mile to get it.

Jason’s influenced by his mother who has these beliefs about the world so his ability to overcome this poisonous views and become a better person us extremely powerful. He is by no means a great human being as we all have our flaws but the fact that this movie was able to make me do a completely 180° on someone who I thought I could never change my mind about deserves my utmost respect and applause.