A struggling screenwriter inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends kidnap a gangster's beloved Shih Tzu.
Seven Psychopaths in the follow-up by director Martin McDonagh, who was last seen with the dark comedy In Bruges in 2008. While the previous film had a story that became increasingly dark and dramatic, Seven Psychopaths is very much a comedy – albeit a very dark and violent one. The film has flourishes of the films of Quentin Tarantino and it has a very meta plot. The film focuses on a struggling screenwriter named Marty (Colin Farrell), who is struggling to write a screenplay for a film also called Seven Psychopaths. If you haven’t guessed it, the film Marty is writing is also the film we are watching (not unlike Spike Jonze‘s Adaptation). One by one, the seven psychopaths are introduced to the story (each having a on screen number). Some of them are central to plot, while others are shown in the form of side stories (include one which recurs throughout the film). Much of the comedy in the film is built around how self-aware it is. Many of the characters reference scenes in the screenplay that happens to reflect the action currently happening on screen. Of course, the film also has some fun with viewer expectations, including an over-the-top action scene in a graveyard, which probably ended up being one of my favourite scenes of the film. The film is essentially stolen by Sam Rockwell, who plays Marty’s best friend Billy. In addition, the film features a huge return to form for Christopher Walken, whose career has a bit stagnant for the last few years. The cast is rounded out by Woody Harrelson as possibly the most psycho of the psychopaths and Tom Waits with a rabbit, who shines in his brief role. The male dominated film also has brief roles for both Abbie Cornish and Olga Kurylenko and the film even references at one point how neither have much to do. Overall, I found Seven Psychopaths to be a highly enjoyable film and it will definitely end up one of my favourites of the year. 10 | LOVED IT