Seven Psychopaths Review

Seven Psychopaths Review

Director: Martin McDonagh

Cast Headliners: Colin Farrell , Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson

Original Release Date: October 12th, 2012

Seen: January 31st, 2013

I love it when a movie has a unique style and vibe which enriches the experience. Seven Psychopaths is one of those movies. Marty Faranan, played by Colin Farrell in his usual grumpy Irish way, is an average joe and a screenwriter. His friend Billy (Sam Rockwell), is more than a average joe in that his profession is dog-napping with Christopher Walken’s character Hans.  The men have an admittedly clever idea to steal dogs then turn them back in when their owner’s look for them. (If this movie hadn’t come out and the public knew about it I would consider doing it for the occasional extra buck!)  This leads them to the evil but funny and a bit foolish Charlie played by Woody Harrelson. These are some great actors, and everyone is a joy to watch.  It’s a tough tie between every cast member for who is the funniest.

Mixed in with the humorous dognapping revenge hijinks is how Marty is building his script for a movie called “Seven Psychopaths.” When a scene is thought of by Marty, the movie usually cuts away to it being shown. This is a quasi-second plot to the main story, but actually is very important. Without giving away too much, there are some incredibly interesting parallels between the Seven Psychopaths movie of our world and the one Marty is writing.

This sets the film apart from its brethren in cinema today. While it is a sort of “crime” movie, it is more of a comedy with an odd sense of humor.  It reminds me in some ways of Pulp Ficiton’s genre bending.  One of the biggest laughs come from a surreal segment near the end which is one of Sam Rockwell’s best comedic moments as an actor ever.

The reason for the great humor and plot is because the director Martin McDonagh is a playwright as his main profession. He knows how to make good humor and pacing.  Walken is his usual self, but under this director he really makes the film shine.  Every character in this film is great, as is nearly every moment.  The humor may get a bit silly sometimes, but otherwise it’s a pretty good and one of a kind movie. 8.35 out of 10