Seven Psychopaths – 4/5 Movie Reviews by Ry!

Seven Psychopaths – 4/5 – Just insane.  That is the only thing I can use to describe this film.  A very chaotic film with many different characters to follow with many different motives.  Through this chaos, the film is held together very intricately by the main character and his narration.  The ins and outs, the up and downs, no matter what happened in the movie, everything revolves around this key narration of making what is a psychopath, and is done well.  There are some slow parts, but with the narration and many memorable characters, this film truly is a genuine dark comedy to watch.

This movie is about a struggling screenwriter (Colin Farrell) who is writing a screenplay, ironically titled ‘Seven Psychopaths’.  While writing this screenplay, he inadvertently becomes entangled in the LA criminal underworld after his oddball friends kidnap a gangster’s beloved Shih Tzu.  From this point, it boils to four main people.  Those people are: Colin Farrell as the screenwriter, Sam Rockwell as his friend Billy, Chris Walken as his buddy Hans, and Woody Harrelson as Charlie the gangster.  These four actors are what make this movie so freaking hilarious.  Their banter and dialogue bring out the dark but witty tone throughout the film.  There interactions is what helps build the motive for Farrell’s struggling screenplay.  They help bring perspective to a ‘psychopath’ while also traveling along a roller coaster ride of a movie.  They preface a single facet, building a complex structure of a ‘psychopath’ to the film.  They dictate and progress where the film goes, and how it should be build or not build.  The utmost feeling you get throughout the film is that, even though it is focused on Farrell’s narration, the point is to build a character encompassing a true psychopath.  That is why having versatile actors like Rockwell, Harrison and Walken bring depth to this important trait in the movie.   The characterization is what brings direction to the film, a nod to how well the director (also writer of the film) did with this film.

Through this direction, you watch as Colin Farrell character writes his screenplay for the movie, what he starts to write about begins to morph into what you’re watching.  I have only seen this a few times in watching films, and it is a remarkable feat.  That interface brings in the a contrasting focal point, because you have no clue where the movie is going, which makes the journey worthwhile.  The premise starts off with the dog kidnapping, but it evolves deeper, and becomes more analytical on morality, emotions and common direction.  All these elements in the film, along with the characters help build to a thrilling ending, as it brings reasoning to motives, as well as different perspective for living for Colin Farrell.

Outside of the four, most of the side characters were just there for placement. They all just boiled down to usage as plot devices in the film, and you really didn’t care for them.  You watch as some characters just completely disappear (which is very annoying), as loose threads in the film make you wonder why they were there in the first place.  A lot of unnecessary downtime also brings a halt to a lot of the whimsical dialogue, but ultimately doesn’t ever deter the movie from the main four characters.

This film boils down to what a dark comedy can be if given room to breathe into a complete film.  Fully of smart dialogue, witty characters and dark elements with gruesome deaths and hardships.  What it fully encompasses is a purpose to be directive on what a psychopath can mean if done right or wrong.  I laughed a lot throughout this film.  It did have some downtime, and unnecessary plot devices, but overall … very enjoyable.  Recommend for a movie outing if you’re a fan of dark comedies, maybe a Blu-Ray purchase in the future.