Seven Psychopaths

Welcome to another episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!

Today's review is Seven Psychopaths.

Written & Directed by Martin McDonagh.

Review #184

MPAA Rating: R for strong violence, bloody images, pervasive language, sexuality/nudity and some drug use.

Run Time: 110 min

Cast

In order of apperance

Michael Pitt...Larry

Michael Stuhlbarg...Tommy

Sam Rockwell...Billy

Colin Farrell...Marty

Abbie Cornish...Kaya

Christopher Walken...Hans

Linda Bright Clay...Myra

Harry Dean Stanton...Man in Hat

Joseph Lyle Taylor...Al

Kevin Corrigan...Dennis

Woody Harrelson...Charlie

Gabourey Sidibe...Sharice

Zeljko Ivanek...Paulo

Long Nguyen...Vietnamese Priest

Olga Kurylenko...Angela

Dark/Black comedies are in my opinion one of the toughest films to write. You have to carefully balance the drama and droll. They aren't that funny but they are. It's quite a skill to pull off. The last good one I saw was The Guard with Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle. Martin McDonagh has managed to write and direct two of the best dark comedies I have seen in the last 10 years. If not of all time. His first was In Bruges also headlined by Colin Farrell. With Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes. Walking into this one. I expected the same kind of seriousness that In Bruges gave me. That was a very big error in judgement. It's one that I'm glad I made because this film was so much better.

Plot

A struggling screenwriter inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends kidnap a gangster's beloved Shih Tzu. 

The first thing to remember here is that Seven Psychopaths and In Bruges are two entirely different films. Almost in every possible way. Tone, depth and comedy. In Bruges was a much more subdued film with a smaller cast. Seven Psychopaths has a great ensemble cast with a plot that is expansive and at times a bit puzzling. Surprisingly, the puzzling parts of the story help make it so entertaining. The problem is that you have to get through the whole film and then it kicks in on you. That is probably the only flaw I saw and it's a minor one. I won't mention what the puzzling parts were but they are obvious.

What separates McDonagh's latest effort from his previous one is the scale and size of Seven Psychopaths. The cast is larger and as such the story gets bigger in spite of it's concise premise. Another aspect is the comedy. This film was much funnier than In Bruges and had more subtle jokes as well. There even were a few jokes that were so bleak that you felt bad for laughing at them. Of course that's the purpose of a black comedy. The high comedy of the film belongs to Sam Rockwell. Billy is so dumb yet brilliant and bad ass that it makes you wonder if he's a real person or a cartoon. Rockwell plays Billy with a subtle craziness that you wait for that snapping moment but what comes next is the punchline. The rest of the cast plays off the tone that Billy sets. It gives the film a nice flow and feel.

The movie is a tad on the violent side but like the rest of the film it's over the top. It can get a bit gratuitous but with the premise the film has, the body count needs to be high anyway.

Overall, Seven Psychopaths is a really good film that is right on par with some of the best dark comedies out there right now. Martin McDonagh is 2 for 2.

On the 5 star scale. Seven Psychopaths gets 4 stars with a "Worth Every Penny!" recommendation.

That's a wrap for today. Up next is The Man With The Iron Fists

Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"

"D"