7 Psychopathes

Let's get the insane plot of Seven Psychopaths out of the way: Marty (Collin Farrell) is a struggling Irish screenwriter, who hopes to finish his screenplay for a film called "Seven Psychopaths," while battling a case of writer's block and author-indecisiveness. His best friend is Billy (Sam Rockwell), a boisterous dog-thief, who usually winds up dictating Marty's life rather than helping him along in tough times. Hans (Christopher Walken) is Billy's best friend and partner in crime when it comes to dog-snatching. After both Hans and Billy steal an unpredictable crime boss's (Woody Harrelson) shih-ztu, it becomes a violent, relentless cat-and-mouse chase to get the pup back, and in the meantime, we get lengthy monologues between characters about the production of "Seven Psychopaths" and how Marty's inspiration begins to bubble when he starts considering the barrage of real psychopaths in his own life.

There are several films that exist about the movie-making process and it is a very difficult genre to make effectively. Seven Psychopaths succeeds in balancing the art of characters and the art of plot coherency, and it doesn't cross the line of becoming too involved in the process and too concerned with "in" jokes that leave the audience lost. To put it simply; the actors look like they're having fun, but they make sure we are still amused and connected with the film.

Right off the bat, the first thing one can commend about this entire experience are the rich performances by actors of all different career heights. Collin Farrell plays a wonderful straight-laced man victim to idiocy and unhelpful circumstances, and is only made better by Sam Rockwell's character's shameless belligerence. Woody Harrelson, giving us one of his many diverse roles in recent years, has the rare ability of rustling up a fierce moment of seriousness and delivering a devilishly funny laugh in the same breath. And who could forget supporting-role king Christopher Walken, who continuously borders the line of self-parody here in a memorably sophisticated role? At times, Seven Psychopaths is a witty riot and at other times, it can be monotonous and lengthy. For starters, the film looks and feels like a Quentin Tarantino film blended with the likes of Guy Ritchie. Shots have a very slim sense of narrative cohesion and many, many times are we left bewildered at what we just watched. It's also apparent that the film has a meta, self-aware tone that can be pleasantly charming, and sometimes cloying and overly-cheeky. To simply my feelings; after many sequences was I trying to comprehend what was just given to me and how was I supposed to digest the experience all together.

I mentioned my feelings that the film seemed to drag and felt a little too long - specifically the final scene in the desert which is roughly twenty-five to thirty minutes. Perhaps if your interest is in cheeky comedies and self-aware humor, you won't mind at all. The film is certainly smarter and a lot brighter than some of the flyweight, narrow-minded comic exercises that have bestowed on the mainstream public in recent years. For once, it's refreshing to see a comedy pay close attention to its characters, its events, and its performance, never shortchanging anyone in the process.

NOTE: There's also something very, very different about the cinematography of this picture, different from any kind of visual atmosphere I have seen this year. The southern California area seems to be captured through a grungy, saturated lens with colors appearing bright, humid, and very warm. This easily makes Seven Psychopaths one of the most visually calm pictures of the year.

Starring: Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Christopher Walken, Tom Waits, Abbie Cornish, and Olga Kurylenko. Directed by: Martin McDonagh.

Seven Psychopaths never quite reaches its full potential. This darkly comedic story has moments of genius, but it peaks early and plateaus for the rest of the movie. The actors look like they're having a good time, though -- Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell play very well off each other. I guess I just expected more from this film.

----no one else does--- one of my favorite things to tell the haters.

Trying not to give away any spoilers -- you have to watch this with an open mind looking to be entertained and not educated. Huge cast all the way to Tom Waites (who by the way, can do no wrong). The characters fit together and interact well. Although it's not the script of the decade, it is "playful". If I get into the characters and their roles I'll spill the beans. But I have to comment about Tom Waites (did I mention he can do no wrong?). He had an integral role in this film which I doubt many viewers really recognized and was flawlessly executed with the rhythm of an accomplished musician.

So take these two things from my review and relate them not just to this film but film in general - and even life; Don't take yourself so seriously - trust me, no one else does! Have no expectation of a film other than to be entertained (unless the film is a doc. of course).

There is little doubt that this movie is not for everyone. If don't believe it just look at some of the reviews, lot's of 1's and lot's of 10's, me I am somewhere in the middle, (towards the 10 end). It is not for everyone because it is QUIRKY and I do mean quirky, with lesser talented actors I could well be one of the people giving it 1 star, however the acting was excellent. I have been big fan of Sam Rockwells, since the Green Mile and in Seven he is hilarious. Colin Farrell, was great and as usual Christopher Walken was superb. Mickey Rourke was originally cast in the Woody Harrelson part, and while he did a good job, I think the character might have been better suited to Mickey Roarke. There something about Woody playing a character that is way over the top, that feels like he's playing it way over the top, none the less he was still funny.

This movie was full of hilarious one liners, and some very smart dialog, the plot was at the same time funny and ridiculous. I read a few of the reviewers that slammed this movie and most of them were bashing the plot or the lack thereof, this is not a great who done it, and I will agree the plot was paper thin, at best.

If you see this movie you need to see it for the acting and a fun way to spend 110 minutes. If you are looking for a movie that makes some kind of a statement or makes you really think about your life, then don't see this movie, you will be disappointed.

There is something about this movie that captures you. It starts out quirky and comedic, but as the film progresses it becomes more serious. The ensemble cast gives it the feeling of a classic like Snatch, but this isn't an just an action film. It is more dramatic and you do feel for some of the characters. The movie does have some faults like some predictable plot points and the humor fails at some parts, but this shouldn't discourage you from watching the film. It is worth the price of the ticket. Seven Psychopaths is one of the better movies to come out this season. It doesn't disappoint. Its a great flick to go out with the guys. Colin Farell (hope I spelled it right, sorry Colin) adds another great performance to his belt.