“Harrelson, Farrell, Rockwell and Walken are all magnificent and appear to be having the time of their lives bringing McDonaghs dark absurdity to life.”
Title: Seven Psychopaths
Starring: Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Christopher Walken.
Writer: Martin McDonagh
Director: Martin McDonagh
Anyone who knows anything about Martin McDonagh knows that despite his success as a playwright, the man has always wanted to write films. His first major shot at it was 2008s In Bruges (pun intended and brilliant), a cult, critical darling that proved his skills were not limited to the stage and that he was just as comfortable behind a camera as he was behind a curtain. While Seven Psychopaths retains a lot of what made In Bruges great, it has to be said that this is an entirely different breed of beast.
Honestly, the less you know about Seven Psychopaths going in, the better. In that spirit I’m going to try to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible. Colin Farrell plays Martin, an Irish screenwriter living in Los Angeles, struggling with a drinking problem and the fact that his best friend, Billy (Sam Rockwell), is a little too crazy for comfort. If that wasn’t bad enough, Martins latest script is already overdue and Billy, determined to inspire him through any means necessary, has just gotten them into a whole heap of trouble in the shape of one Woody Harrelson. As if that wasn’t enough, Christopher Walken is a long for the ride.
It’s not quite that simple though; just as the events unfolding will go on to influence Martins story, it becomes clear very early in that the script (or perhaps Martins outlook), is influencing real life events in turn. Don’t fret, it’s not a supernatural thing. It’s never even openly referenced. The boundaries of reality are blurred until it becomes difficult to tell what’s real and what’s fiction. Thankfully this is all part of McDonaghs plan and as lost as you might find yourself at times, just stick with it; all will become clear.
McDonaghs script is sharp, hilarious and magnificently dark. Anyone with any doubts as to whether or not the Irish have the blackest humour in the world need only read a McDonagh script to be assured that we are most definitely in the top 5 and Seven Psychopaths is no exception to that. A running joke about how you can’t kill animals in movies culminates in an edge-of-your-seat scene involving a puppy and a flare gun where you really can’t tell if McDonagh is going to do it or not. A scene involving the promise of a post credits sequence pays off but not quite the way you’ll think. Harrelson, Farrell, Rockwell and Walken are all magnificent and appear to be having the time of their lives bringing McDonaghs dark absurdity to life.
It’s impossible to ignore the fact that McDonaghs second stab at filmmaking is about the struggle of an Irish filmmaker to find inspiration to finish his next film. Thankfully it’s equally impossible to ignore how brilliantly he explores those themes while marrying them to a genuinely entertaining popcorn flick. It’s like Tarantino but with brains or Alan Ball with guns. Seven Psychopaths is dark, complex, hilarious and enjoyable in equal measure and proves yet again that McDonagh deserves his name on that directors chair.
Rating: 9/10
