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Marty
(Colin
Farrell) is a Hollywood screenwriter struggling to come up with his
next
script. His friends Hans (Christopher Walken) and Billy (Sam Rockwell)
are
small time con men who earn a living by stealing dogs and then claiming
the
reward on return. They three men are thrown into an underworld of hit
men and
violence after Hans and Billy steal the Shih Tzu belonging to gangster
boss
Charlie (Woody Harrelson). Will this be
the all to real life experience Marty needs for his next script
inspiration? Or
will an innocent dog end up meaning the demise of the three friends?
Seven
Psychopaths is the
next feature
from In Bruges (2008) director Martin McDonagh. In Bruges
also
featured a comedic script wrapped around a crime-based storyline and it
was a
big success for the writer/director. In this follow up to the
successful 2008
film, the director follows the same formula yet this time it feels
somewhat
stale and disappointingly American in tone. Violence is not a hard
thing to
accomplish in a film. Editing, camera
techniques or just good old bloodshed is all that is needed to spice up
a film
with some ear popping action. What will forever be a challenge for
filmmakers
is to keep the laughs coming while what is essentially violent
brutality being
flashed up on the screen. Seven Psychopaths simply does not
contain
fresh laughs or even enough mediocre comedy to keep you interested
throughout.
Offbeat characters do not mean instant laughs, despite the talent of
the
ensemble cast at hand. Harry Dean Stanton, Tom Waits, Michael Pitt and
Abbie
Cornish are more than capable actors that fill out an already
impressive acting
roster. Yet no one is given lines to go beyond two dimensional
character developments
or knock out jokes to really deliver the absurdity of the story in the
way
intended. Waits and Walken are standout roles in this film. This
however is
also due to their natural character being so unique and off kilter.
Rockwell
gives the role of Billy a lot of energy but the character is unlikable
and
contains a large portion of the dialogue so obviously written to please
American’s
and not much else. Farrell swings between neurosis and freaked out
stupidity
for most of the plot until he decides he’s the hero of the piece. Like
all good
American heroes he then becomes stone cold cool with his best Eastwood
impersonation when put under the gun in the films conclusion.
Seven
Psychopaths is not a
waste of
time. It is watchable and at times funny. The film’s problem is that
it’s not consistently
entertaining. The script dips in storyline focus and comedic value so
often
you’ll find yourself reaching for the popcorn throughout.
The ensemble cast work well together but
unfortunately it’s not enough to elevate this average film next to
other genre
classics like Pulp Fiction (1994) or The
Usual Suspects (1995). Those expecting
a sharp witted follow up to In
Bruges will be disappointed but others should expect a roller
coaster ride
of violence and ridiculous situations. The problem with this ride
though, is
you’ve taken it before and this time it’s just not as fun this time
around.
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