Seven Psychopaths

“Psychopaths sell like hotcakes,” Joe Gills said sixty years ago. It’s evident that Hollywood’s affection for psychopaths has only grown since then. Seven Psychopaths is an original postmodern pun (the only film I can think to compare it to is Kitano’s Sonatine) about which probably no one can offer better commentary than Martin McDonagh, who does so through the mouths of his characters. The film’s main value added, the ceaseless self-reflective revealing of the rules according to which films about psychopaths (i.e. a significant part of American cinema) function, raises doubts about how seriously the serious moments should be taken. Whereas In Bruges was gripping as both an existential drama and a brutal black-humour thriller, Seven Psychopaths doesn’t stick around long enough in either genre for the scenes to have a proper emotional effect. The transitions from serious etudes on the topic of “I kill people, but otherwise I’m also human” to gore farce are smooth and the actors play their roles in just the right way that you sympathise with them a little, laugh at them a bit and kind of want to kill them. However, these transitions are constant and sometimes are obviously added in only so that the film doesn’t just go with the flow and come across as ordinary. A drop of normality in this ocean of madness could serve well as evidence that the film’s creator means something seriously and as an emotional point of reference that elevates the film above the level of an evening’s entertainment. However, this is still first-rate entertainment of the with many levels and boasting one of the best (multi)genre screenplays since Inglourious Basterds. 80% (28/11/2012)

Martin McDonagh is my favorite author, I have known that since I saw a performance of his play Orphan West at the Czech Budejovice theater. I was then very sorry that I did not have the opportunity to see the previous two plays that were also performed at the South Bohemian Theater. Specifically, these plays were "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" and "The Cripple of Inishmaan." There's nothing I can do about it, maybe I will see them some other time. At least I could look forward to the film "Seven Psychopaths." More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2013/02/sedm-psychopatu-2012-75.html (09/04/2013)

In Bruges was more magical, more atmospheric and more cohesive, but I have a weak spot of weird meta stuff like this. Brutality, black humour, a psychopath at every turn and constant self reflection through the character of the screenwriter, Marty (an excellent Farrell, compensating for this year’s pointless Total Recall), and his script of Seven Psychopaths. Yeah, the film’s protagonist is writing the script of the film where he’s acting. That says everything. On the one hand, it’s a bit like covering your own ass (anything can happen and everything can be explained). On the other, it’s a chance to unleash the screenwriters and have fun writing and filming something original. Which to a greater extent they did successfully. McDonagh is awesome. (01/12/2012)

I enjoyed this immensely. This mosaic of stories all linked by the theme of screenwriting and... erm, murders, has all the ingredients necessary. Every psychopath has something special about them and you’ll love absolutely all of them. The stories layer up, link together and all the time you have no idea what will happen over the next ten minutes. Sam Rockwell acts his heart out, Christopher Walken is simply awesome and Colin Farrell is pleasantly passive as the possible incarnation of the director. To shake his writer’s block, Martin McDonagh has written a story about writer’s block and he was even allowed to retain the terrible title. The dream sequences (even though they usually appear in movies for faggots) are more than just well-filmed. Otherwise, I bet that nobody is able to “retell" this movie, you simply have to see it. Shake. (08/12/2012)

Nobody writes dialogue and scripts as stupid as Martin McDonagh these days. This one is even more stupid, absurd (in the negative sense of the word) and clueless than In Bruges. I don’t know what this bloke’s playing at, but I reckon we’ll never be friends. If this is supposed to be some fresh, unorthodox direction in contemporary modern cinema, I, as a viewer, don't want to be part of it. Thank God for Tarantino... (18/01/2013)