Did you see In Bruges? It was Martin McDonagh’s quiet little masterpiece. Sure sure there were some trippy sequences but the dry comedy of it comes through so well that you can’t help but to laugh or giggle your way through the film. Seven Psychopaths is no different, a little trippy and little cliched but is starts well and the story of the Seven Psychopaths is so beautifully woven in and out of the film that you really don’t care about the cheese. Plus it has Christopher Walken, who at his age makes any film a hit.
My complaint about the movie being cliche is that it is a movie about making a movie/screenplay, and, well, plays about making plays. We’ve seen too many of them over the decades for it not to be cliche. And in that its very difficult to get excited for another of these. However I can look over that. The comedy and the acting and the story telling are very very very well done. McDonagh is a master of comedy, he’s got a good knack for it and he knows how to deliver a punch line. His use of Colin Ferrel and Sam Rockwell are perfect and their chemistry together is a joy to watch on screen. Colin Ferrel is an incredible actor when he’s not dying his hair blond and acting in bad Trojan movies. His comedic talents are quite sharp and fun to watch on the big screen. Sam Rockwell? He’s a proven commodity. Love the guy, love watching him on screen.
I mentioned Christopher Walken. What’s there to stay about the man with a storied career. I think he could play the part of a glass and make it the coolest acting job ever. Writing about Christopher Walken would be an article in itself. My first introduction to Christopher Walken was in the 1978 film The Deer Hunter, I’m not certain how long after it was in the theaters that I saw it for the first time but it was an important film for my parents, and for us to see. Doing a quick study of his works, I’m not really certain this guy has never played some sort of off-beat kook. He does it so well. And he does it again in Seven Psychopaths, subtle but kooky.
I mentioned that the movie is a dark comedy and as light and funny as it is there is a string of dark throughout the film. As the title suggests the movie is about 7 psychopaths and none of them are very good people. We are slowly introduced to each one, some in comedic light, others in the dark that the movie want to recedes to every once in a while. McDonagh never really takes us there, making certain to stay on the comedic and in the end philosophic side of psycho.
The film is well done, the colors the scenes, the locations. Color dominates, adds a dimension to the film, a mood to the film. As we are taken through the story of Seven Psychopaths and who they are and WHO they are, I found myself giggling and laughing. Mostly at Ferrel’s off the wall performance and Walken’s straight man. They are great on scene together.
Seven Psychopaths is a fun movie; it’s a no brainer, a good glass of wine and cheese movie on a slow Friday night when you need something to laugh at.
You can still pick this up on Amazon.com.
You can discuss this movie further on the fwoosh forums.
