Destination Defenestration: Dixon throws Red out of his own office window in misplaced retribution after the chief's death.just as a Molotov Cocktail is thrown at the table right in front of him, making him finally notice the police station is under attack. Description Cut: The letter Dixon received ends with "you've had a run of bad luck, but things are gonna change for you.And despite this early physical exit, hes still the third biggest role in the film. He is Driven to Suicide early in the film, but his voice is heard thrice after through the letters he left behind for Mildred, Dixon, and his wife Anne. Dead Star Walking: Downplayed with Chief Willoughby (played by Woody Harrelson).
Dead Man Writing: Chief Willoughby narrates his own suicide letter, as well as the ones he leaves for the other characters.Cruel and Unusual Death: Angela was not only raped while dying but was set on fire, leaving a scorched mark that persists to the present day.Crazy-Prepared: Mildred stores a fire extinguisher in her car which comes in handy when putting out the billboard fire.Country Matters: Robbie refers to both his mother and sister as cunts in a flashback, though they were calling each other that before he chimed in.Why don't you put that on your Good Morning Missouri fucking wake up broadcast, bitch? Mildred: This didn't put an end to shit, you fucking retard this is just the fucking start. Best case being Mildred as she drives by a reporter covering the newly-burnt billboards: Cluster F-Bomb: The characters indulge in it often.Central Theme: As found by Charlie's ditsy girlfriend on a bookmark she had, "Anger begets more anger." It is only when Mildred and Dixon try to move past their anger at others that they are able to make personal progress.They come to regret it when she stops, walks up to them, and delivers a brutal Groin Attack to two of them in response. Bullying a Dragon: Someone in a group of Robbie's fellow students lobs a can of soda at Mildred's car when she's driving him to school.Blood from the Mouth: A sign of doom for Willoughby when he coughs out blood, smearing Mildred.Black Comedy: Par for the course with Martin McDonagh, though this trope is less present here than in his previous movies.Bittersweet Ending: We never find out who killed Angela, but Mildred and Dixon appear to have a newfound respect for each other and are possibly going to take justice into their own hands regarding the fate of another rapist.Bathos: Just as the argument between Mildred and Charlie - with some appearances by Robbie - is getting heated, Penelope enters the house, wanting to know where the bathroom is.Bar Brawl: Invoked by Dixon to get a hand on the man's DNA he suspected to be Angela's murderer.It ends up being a taut goodwill parting gesture. Bait-and-Switch: Charlie goes from taunting to apprehensive when he sees Mildred approaching him with a wine bottle, apparently ready to start a fight.Charlie concedes so, but points out that the difference between them is that he's not acting like it will. Mildred retorts that sleeping with a nineteen-year-old isn't going to do so either. At Least I Admit It: When Charlie confronts Mildred over the billboards and her stubborn refusal to take them down, he points out that paying for them won't bring their daughter back or find justice for her.Especially without any other respiratory symptoms, such as regular coughing or shortness of breath. He could have metastases on his lungs, but even then he wouldn't be likely to cough blood. The pancreas is part of the digestive system, not the respiratory system, and the two are not connected. While not wholly impossible, Willoughby would be very unlikely to cough up blood as a symptom of pancreatic cancer.He would also not be discharged from the hospital after a mere couple of weeks - in reality he would require months of treatment and rehabilitation. Somebody with burns as extensive as Dixon's would not be placed in a shared hospital room, due to the very high risk of infection.(Though kneeing two people in the groin at his school is fairly embarrassing.)