Seven Psychopaths

Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, Long Nguyen, Tom Waits, Abbie Cornish, Linda Bright Clay

Dir & Scr. Martin McDonagh

Well, what a great film to get you right into the Christmas spirit! I’m kidding. But, you know what, I like to laugh at Christmas and I certainly laughed a lot during Seven Psychopaths … a little too much perhaps. It’s one of those black comedies in which you laugh, and then feel just a little bit of shame for doing so. I really liked this film. It’s not the best of its genre or even the best by McDonagh (of In Bruges fame). But it certainly ticked a lot of boxes. Highly recommend.

Seven Psychopaths is what you might call meta. A movie within a movie, and then some. Marty (Farrell) is a struggling screenwriter, possessed of a movie title – Seven Psychopaths – and not much else. His dog-napping friend, Billy (Rockwell), is desperate to help Marty write his movie and curb his drinking. Alongside this artistic struggle is the story of, well, quite a few others. Including Hans (Walken), Billy’s dog-napping accomplice; Charlie (Harrelson), a crazy gang lord who just wants his dog back; Kaya (Cornish), Marty’s long-suffering girlfriend. By the end of it all, Marty has his film.

McDonagh set his own bar extremely high with the brilliant In Bruges and this film has certainly suffered from constantly being compared to it. Sure, it’s not as good. It meanders in places, especially towards the end. Excuses itself from its shortcomings too easily and is, at times, a little too self-aware. Is perhaps a little too ridiculous in places. McDonagh has enough going on to pack several films. But for all its erratic-ness, there is much to like about Seven Psychopaths. Not least, it’s blooming funny. It’s also quite bloody, so be warned.

Perhaps the movie’s biggest saving grace is its brilliant cast. Here, McDonagh is truly blessed. Farrell is, as ever, very watchable. And set quite against type, as a floundering, cowardly screenwriter. Harrelson is spot on type – violent, crazy and emotionally unstable; he’s a treat to watch. The women don’t have much to do here (something which is humorously noted in the movie itself), but Clay is sublime and Cornish a welcome addition. Waits is creepily wonderful as a former-serial killer just searching for his long lost love. But the real stars of the film are Rockwell and Walken. They simply steal every scene they are in. Rockwell is right in his comfort zone, as wacky and unbalanced Billy. And Walken is… well, he’s Walken. Speaking in that way he does and shining every time he’s on the screen. And he injects most of the heart into the film, which is certainly needed.

It’s not perfect. But its dialogue is razor-sharp and the performances are brilliant. Spending a couple of hours in the company of Walken and Rockwell and Farrell means I can forgive a lot.

P.S. Him Indoors pointed out that it should really be called Seven Sociopaths, for many reasons he outlined on the drive home from the cinema. I’ll let you make your own decision. Personally, I just think psychopath is funnier.

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Hans: An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.

Billy: No, it doesn’t. There’ll be one guy left with one eye. How’s the last blind guy gonna take out the eye of the last guy left?