I always think writer/director Martin McDonagh has made more films than just two features. His first film, In Bruges, was pretty wondeful. You should see it. And now, with his second film, Seven Psycopaths, he managaes to create some really great characters, played by an excellent cast.
I always think writer/director Martin McDonagh has made more films than just two features. His first film, In Bruges, was pretty wondeful. You should see it. And now, with his second film, Seven Psycopaths, he managaes to create some really great characters, played by an excellent cast.
Marty (Colin Farrell) is a struggling screenwriter. Due to his odd friends, Billy Bickle (Sam Rockwell) and Hans (Christopher Walken), Marty gets entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld, when they unwittingly dognap the Shih Tzu of cold-blooded gangster, Charlie (Woody Harrelson).
Seven Psychopaths is a self-aware movie; like a movie within a movie, but one of them isn’t written yet. So, some of this film is real time some of it is still in the mind of Marty, who’s trying to write a screenplay. The film opens with two men walking and talking – and during such conversation you gather that they are hit men. Not very good ones, I suppose, as a masked man walks up behind them and shoots them both in the head. I assume that actually happens, but as we see later, parts of the film are just Marty working through things in his head, so, you can decide.
Billy wants to help Marty get through his writer’s block, so, knowing the film Marty is trying to write is called Seven Psychopaths, he puts an ad in the paper asking psycopaths to volunteer to be interviewed as research. This is because Billy is helpful. And maybe a cookie or two shy of a full cookie jar. Guys like Tom Waits show up (carrying a white bunny) saying he’s a serial killer that only kills other serial killers, and he tells his story. Tom Waits is always a treat to watch on screen as far as I’m concerned and he doesn’t disappoint here. Quirky? Yeah, definitely. He carries a white rabbit around with him, for cryin’ out loud.
On top of all these crazy people, there is a killer in Los Angeles called Jack of Diamonds who is out offing mobsters. It’s relevant to things as the film progresses.
Billy and Hans have a racket going where they steal pet dogs from people with money, then they “find” them and collect rewards from the owners. Walken as Hans is such an odd character, but never passes beyond self-parody, though sometimes he gets close. But there’s a human sensitivity to him that draws you to him. He’s also pretty hilarious. Colin Farrell smartly plays the straight man pretty much all the way while letting everyone else chew up the screen around him. But everyone is full of strangeness and is great fun to watch.
The film’s climax takes place out in the desert with Marty, Billy, Hans, and the Shih Tzu hiding out from Charlie and the inevitable confrontation. It goes places I didn’t expect and it’s entertaining indeed. Sometimes with a cast like this, you think “Uh oh, all these great stars are in this, but they probably just did it as favors and it’s gonna suck”. Fortunately, the material is fun and it all pays off in the end.
Martin McDonagh is pretty much two for two in my book. Easy three and half kittenhands here. The cast alone is worth it. It’s all a little goofy, and fun, despite some psychopath related violence. Yeah, I recommend this movie, especially if you liked In Bruges.
~ Neil T. Weakley, your average movie-goer, finding once again, that the smaller films have been better this year.