Movie Review: “Seven Psychopaths”

Quentin Tarantino's Adaptation.


***** out of 5
110 minutes
Rated R for language and some violent images
Warner Bros. Pictures


Article first published as Movie Review: Seven Psychopaths on Blogcritics.

If the last few weeks are of any indication, we’re in for a slam dunk of a fall movie season. Each film has been trumping the last starting with Looper and last week’s Frankenweenie with no slowing down in sight. Usually, September and October are reserved for wading through the garbage Hollywood doesn’t deem big enough for summer and not good enough for Oscar chances. This year seems to be changing that with some small scale outings rounding out the usual happenings like the new Saw replacement Paranormal Activity. But that doesn’t keep the rest of us from having some fun too with the crazy cast of Seven Psychopaths.

Following up a debut film such as In Bruges seems like it would be too much a feat for anyone. But Martin McDonagh actually makes it look easy. With the same brand of drama, violence, hilarity, and wits, McDonagh has written one of the best screenplays in years for Seven Psychopaths. The film is about Marty (Colin Farrell), an Irish screenwriter living in Hollywood with a title and no story. Yes, Marty is writing a movie called Seven Psychopaths but hasn’t a clue what to do.

Billy (Sam Rockwell) is dying to help Marty with his screenplay throwing him lots of bones with crazy stories and even places an ad in the newspaper asking psychopaths to call Marty to tell them their own life stories. Hans (Christopher Walken) continues visiting his wife Myra (Linda Bright Clay) at the hospital when he isn’t returning “lost” dogs to their owners for the reward and has “stumbled” upon a shih tzu belonging to gangster Charlie (Woody Harrelson). Meanwhile, a serial killer dubbed “Jack of Diamonds” is going around shooting down mobsters waiting around to whack their own targets.

It never crossed my mind that we needed Adaptation remade by Quentin Tarantino, but that’s exactly how the film plays. McDonagh has certainly outdone himself and anyone else this year so far by writing one of the funniest, smartest, most quotable films of the year. Things do get dark, but there are also hilarious moments of outrageous violence. But fear not, the nastiest bits are played for laughs. There were walkouts during some of these moments, but the film is called Seven Psychopaths people. Anyone offended shouldn’t be in the theater in the first place. But if you’re searching for one of the best films to see this weekend (the other being Argo), Seven Psychopaths is time well spent.

Photos courtesy CBS Films