Let's start with the good: The acting was good. Let's go to the bad: the acting can't save a bad script.

A lot of the writing here is very random and haphazard. The movie starts out pretending to be a mystery movie (whodunnit as some call it), but changes to a redemption story, or maybe a revenge story. Or is it social commentary?

In the end it's neither; the mystery of who killed the protag's daughter isn't resolved, the racist cop hasn't done anything to prove his change of heart, there's no revenge, and the racism theme barely scratches the surface, and is superficial at best. I wouldn't be surprised if the racial angle was thrown in at the last minute of screenplay writing for maximum Oscar bait.

I'm not saying a work of art cannot contain multiple take home messages, but this movie seems to jump to a different direction at every step of the way rather than having overarching themes.

Then there are the actual lines that the actors say. There's a lot of swearing. Like a lot. Not that I'm against that, but that is not how people normally talk. A lot of it is not like how normal people talk. A lot of it is not how people act or react. It seems like the writer is trying to hit as many "look how taboo breaking my writing is" check marks as possible into this movie. Over the top profanity? Check. Senseless violence? Check. Crazy co-incidents? Check. As if Tarantino and the Coen brothers had a baby, and that baby is trying to emulate No Country For Old Men. It bears all the marks, but lacks proper context and the script to support it.

Finally, there are instances of Chekhov's Gun all over this film (and badly places "red herrings"). This 'rule' states that if you place a gun hanging on a wall in a movie scene, it better be used, or don't hang it there at all. Case in point: the weird guy threatening Mildred in her store, the token black people serving no point at all, the divorced husband's new bimbo girlfriend, the midget, and so on. None of these serve an actual purpose to the plot.

I'm not even going to talk about the plot holes. Check any other review under 6 stars for that.

I'm absolutely baffled this movie is as revered as it is. It won Academy Awards. How?? HOW??