“Seven Psychopaths” isn’t what you’d hope for after a movie like “In Bruges” but it’s entertaining nonetheless. So if you’re looking for something to kill some time on a Friday night you won’t be sorry.
The story begins with screenwriter Marty (Colin Farrell) struggling to begin his screenplay “Seven Psychopaths.” He has the title page just nothing more than that. To get the creative juices flowing Marty kills time with his best friend Billy, (Sam Rockwell) an out of work actor moonlighting as a dog thief and his business partner Hans (Christopher Walken). Luckily for Marty he’s about to get all the inspiration he needs because Billy just happened to nab the dog of a real life psychopath (Woody Harrelson) and he doesn’t play nice.
Martin McDonagh is a fantastic writer. “In Bruges” is probably one of my favorite movies and was so dark and outlandish that I couldn’t forget it if I wanted. While “Seven Psychopaths” is entertaining in its own rights, I just don’t feel the same magic. The biggest problem is the tired screenwriter with writer’s block motif. The story itself feels exhausted and is an up and down ride. What saves this script is McDonagh’s knack for creating hilarious dialogue and outlandish scenarios. I think one of my favorite parts has to be the beginning itself. Two thugs arguing about different methods of killing their targets while waiting for their current hit. As they jabber on a man in a red mask slowly makes his way up and shoots the two in the head. It was this movie that grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go.
The acting though is what really raises this movie to a new level. Woody Harrelson is his normal craziness; one moment he’s weeping about his lost dog and the next he’s shooting people in the back of the head. Sam Rockwell is good as Billy but at times felt a little over the top. Colin Farrell does well enough for his character but it’s Christopher Walken that steals every scene that he’s involved with. The real crime was the fact he didn’t get more screen time.
The largest struggle that the movie had to deal with were the highs and lows sort of equaling each other out. The pacing kept me from fully getting involved in the story and that’s in large part to the second act. Once the actors make their way into the desert the pace borders on flat lining.
Overall “Seven Psychopaths” is an entertaining piece of cinema but if you’re looking to have your outlook on life changed then you may want to stick with other choices.
The special features include the featurettes Crazy Locations, Woody Harrelson is Charlie, Colin Farrell is Marty and Layers to name a few. All of the features give an interesting look into the film and the fantastic actors in front of the camera.
Film: 3.5 Yaps
Special Features: 3 Yaps