Today’s quick review: Seven Psychopaths. Martin (Colin Farrell), a screenwriter with a drinking problem, is working on his latest screenplay “Seven Psychopaths”. His friend Billy (Sam Rockwell), an aspiring actor, runs a dog kidnapping scam with his partner Hans (Christopher Walken). But when Billy steals violent criminal Charlie’s (Woody Harrelson) beloved pooch, Martin gets an up-close look at just what a real psychopath can do.
Seven Psychopaths is a black comedy and crime drama from writer and director Martin McDonagh. Seven Psychopaths features an outstanding cast, a smart script, and a smattering of action. The movie follows Martin as he brainstorms his screenplay, searching for the right seven psychopaths to put in his script. The mixture of mind’s-eye violence, real-life chaos, and offbeat humor gives Seven Psychopaths a unique niche in the movie world.
Seven Psychopaths is a deconstruction of Hollywood’s treatment of violence. Martin’s vision for his screenplay is a subversive take on an action movie, a story about killers where violence isn’t the answer. Billy’s helpful suggestions take the opposite approach, mimicking the violent excesses of the action genre. The movie itself splits the difference, using violence selectively and justifying its cinematic indulgences within the story.
Fittingly enough, Seven Psychopaths makes use of violence in unusual ways. The carnage is plentiful and explicit, but also purposeful and well-telegraphed. The constant sense of danger keeps the tension high, but the lack of any real scares means that the danger is always fair. As such, Seven Psychopaths is an easier watch than the goriest extremes of the action genre, even though it does have enough violence to put off sensitive viewers.
As far as execution goes, Seven Psychopaths benefits from its strong cast and interesting script. Sam Rockwell holds the movie together as Martin’s goofy, irresponsible friend Billy. Colin Farrell makes for a likable, fairly neutral protagonist, while Christopher Walken receives a few of the movie’s defining moments. Rounding out the main cast, Woody Harrelson plays an inhumanly vicious yet surprisingly tender villain in Charlie.
On the writing side, Seven Psychopaths has natural-sounding dialogue, a winding plot, and a layer of meta-ness that helps define the movie. The plot is neither the tightest nor the most gripping, but it covers novel ground and comes together well. Likewise, the dialogue only has one or two killer lines, but its consistent quality, clear voices, and intriguing subject matter make it an overall winner.
Watch Seven Psychopaths if you are a fan of dark, cerebral comedies and don’t mind some violence. Seven Psychopath is a close cousin of the kind of movie put out by Quentin Tarantino or the Coen Brothers, and while it doesn’t come near the best work of those creators, their fans may want to give Seven Psychopaths a try. Skip it if you averse to violence or you are looking for a more conventional crime drama.
7.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.5 for interesting writing and solid execution.