At the Theater - Seven Psychopaths - The buildup's much, much better than the payoff in Writer/Director Martin McDonagh's (In Bruges) offbeat, dark, ensemble comedy about two dog-nappers (Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken) and a struggling screen-writer (Colin Farrell) tangling with a vicious gangster (Woody Harrelson) hell-bent on retrieving his beloved Shih-Tzu. The film is frequently very funny and occasionally extremely bloody- it's not for the squeamish and recommended for those with a twisted sense of humor who appreciate great dialogue. I wish a little more thought had been invested in the ending, but it's still well worth a watch for those interested.
Although Colin Farrell (S.W.A.T.) headlines the flick, it's the energetic Sam Rockwell that steals the show outright- the actor's putting in great work in pretty much everything he's been in for quite some time now, whether it's as a bit-part character actor (Cowboys & Aliens) or as leading man (Moon- highly recommended). His "Billy" is very funny, quite likeable and decidedly insane here, delivering the vast majority of the film's best lines. His input regarding the screenplay that Farrell's "Marty" is trying to write is often hilarious.
Christopher Walken, as "Hans", is very good here, though I wasn't too keen on how his character "played out"- he has a few of the more poignant, touching scenes in the first two acts and I was disappointed with how the script utilized him in the conclusion. A great opportunity was either missed or ignored...
Woody Harrelson makes a solid bad-guy, though, again, there's a bit of a misfire as far as the comeuppance that audiences might expect (or desire) involving his character.
There's a scene in the film in which a character points out how underwritten all the females are in "Marty's" screenplay - one could say the same for all of the female roles in this film, with Olga Kurylenko (Quantum Of Solace) and Abbie Cornish (Limitless) wholly misrepresented by the ensemble character posters circulating about and having less than 4 minutes screen-time combined. That may be by design as an in-joke, but it's disappointing, nonetheless.
Other supporting appearances include: Gabourey Sidibe (Precious), Musician Tom Waits, Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man) Zeljko Ivanek (HBO's Oz), Michael Pitt (HBO's Boardwalk Empire) Kevin Corrigan (Pineapple Express) and Harry Dean Stanton in an extended cameo. Bonny the Shih Tzu is a helluva cute dog, but doesn't have much of a personality- she's a rather subdued pooch (that's not necessarily a complaint as I've witnessed some rather annoying Shihts...).
McDonagh needs to polish up his endings- where I'd give this film's conclusion a close, but no cigar triple, it's much better than the absolute strikeout conclusion featured in his previous film, In Bruges. I felt Seven Psychopaths lost quite a bit of momentum at or around the time our three protagonists take refuge in the desert, and it never fully recovered.
Seven Psychopaths is for those who enjoy their films with a mix of quirky humor and shocking violence- it's similar in tone to the likes of Get Shorty, Snatch, Jackie Brown, Fargo, Lucky Number Sleven, Payback, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Barton Fink and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang- but much, much bloodier than all of those films. Fans of the films of Tarantino, The Coen Brothers and Guy Ritchie should check it out.
7.5 out of 10
***Of Note*** This film's Writer/Director is the brother of John Michael McDonagh- the Writer/Director of a fantastic little gem entitled The Guard- it's highly recommended.
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