Seven Psychopaths

Starring: Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Christopher Walken, Tom Waits, Abbie Cornish, Olga Kurylenko, Harry Dean Stanton, Kevin Corrigan, Gabourey Sidibe
Directed by: Martin McDonagh
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
2012

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A screenwriter (Colin Farrell) gets caught up in a plot when his best friend (Sam Rockwell) kidnaps a mobster's (Woody Harrelson) dog.

Review:

Tim: Martin McDonagh is a very, very intriguing director. His feature film debut, In Bruges was a hilarious movie that showed flashes of brilliance, but wasn't quite complete. His follow-up feature, Seven Psychopaths is a movie I was eagerly waiting. Once again, his film has elements that are absolutely brilliant, and yet, the movie as a whole once again misses out on greatness. I really liked this movie, and while I loved certain aspects, it still feels like McDonagh is figuring out to do a great movie from beginning to end. I anticipate that when he figures it out, he'll deliver some truly classic films.

I just have so much fun watching McDonagh's films. He has this weirdly hilarious, unique style. He has this amazing gift at writing dialogue. The dialogue in both his debut and in Seven Psychopaths is simply incredible. He is such a funny, funny writer, and I can't wait to see what he does next. McDonagh uses swear words in perfect ways, and his dialogue just pops off the screen. I also love how he plays with our expectations and very often purposely does exactly what we least expect to see. His films keep the audience off-balance, never quite knowing what to expect next.

McDonagh assembles an impressive cast here. Colin Farrell is back again, and he does a very good job of playing the straight man (has an alcoholic ever been the "straight man" in a movie before?). I love that his character is seemingly the most normal, but he's an oddball alcoholic. Farrell was good. Sam Rockwell, however, was outstanding. I really have a hard time figuring Rockwell out. He's not an actor you can easily classify. He gives an amazing performance here- his comedic timing is impeccable, and he just draws you into his character. His character is completely and totally insane, but that's all part of the fun. Rockwell was easily my favorite part of this entire film.

Woody Harrelson was fun as the film's villain. In line with the rest of the film, he's not at all what you would expect, but Harrelson revels in that and delivers a funny performance. I loved the casting of Christopher Walken. His oddball delivery fits perfectly with the rest of the insane cast. These four actors- Farrell, Rockwell, Harrelson, and Walken were given some truly remarkable dialogue by the truly gifted McDonagh, and it was a pleasure to see them deliver the lines.

That's my favorite part of McDonagh's films. He has this incredible ability to write razor-sharp dialogue and then pick the perfect actors to deliver it. In In Bruges, it was Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Ralph Fiennes. Here, he's got Farrell again, Rockwell, Harrelson, and Walken. That right there is my favorite aspect of his films. That, and they are really, really funny.

The area McDonagh needs to grow some is in the story. He's incredible at characters and dialogue, but the story piece always feels a little weak. At the end of the movie, I don't feel as much as I should. We need more progression with his characters- it's not just about talking, but what they do matters. McDonagh gets this to a certain extent, but he hasn't hit a home run with his stories yet. At the end of both of his films, I'm laughing at the characters and the dialogue, and I've mostly forgotten about what actually happened in the film. The plot feels secondary. For me, that's the biggest issue with Seven Psychopaths. I had a great time watching it, and I really want to watch it again right now (a rare thing for me to say), but at the end, it'll still feel a little hollow. That prevented me from loving this film as much as I wanted to.

While flawed, Seven Psychopaths is still a good movie. There's so much brilliance inherent in this film, and that all comes from McDonagh. With his first two films, he's completely won me over (which is amazing, because neither is a "great" movie). I know that he'll only continue to get better and better, and I am eagerly anticipating his next film. Even if he still doesn't get all the pieces to click, you know it'll be a completely insane, unique, wild ride.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
In Bruges