Seven Psychopaths
Martin McDonagh is one of those writers that you can’t help but be insanely jealous of. Not only has he been dubbed one of the most important Irish playwriters, creating such iconic and brilliant stage production such as The Cripple of the Inishman (recently performed by Daniel Radcliffe,) but he can transfer his enormous talents to the screen. His most triumphant cinematic effort, In Bruges, was a fantastically dark and hilarious movie that brought out some incredible performances from Colin Farrell and Ralph Fiennes. Here, McDonagh is back with a devilish movie staring Farrell once more.
This time in Seven Psychopaths he plays Marty Faranan, an alcoholic playwright struggling to get the grip on his latest ideas. All he has is a name, a premise and one underwritten character; all under the title “Seven Psychopaths.” When his friend Billy suggests that he uses real life characters and stories to inspire his work, Marty unwillingly opens his world to the criminal underbelly of Los Angeles. It doesn’t help that at the same time, Billy has kidnapped the beloved dog of gang leader Charlie Costello. IThings go from bad to worse for Faranan as a whole bunch of psychopaths come swarming into his life.
Clever, that is the apt word for this marvellous comedy that derives its hilarity from the escalating events in Marty’s life. McDonagh writes a tongue and cheek movie that in itself is a criticism of the movie. While including the favourite film technique, breaking the fourth wall, McDonagh layers some funny characters with impossible events, throwing them into this realistic environment where everything is larger than life; believably unbelievable. It’s a wickedly intelligent film, boasting this introspective personality on itself and while the subjects are an underworld belly, each moment is sliced with this exciting spark. A flame in the belly.
It certainly helps that McDonagh has a stellar cast. Uniting the talents of Colin Farrell, Christopher Walken and Woody Harrelson, this big star names strip down their roles and play them with this silent hysteria. Roles that could easily become overblown caricatures, actually come across the earnest character development even if there is an element of the cartoon in them. All of them are rather impressive. But it is the great Sam Rockwell that steals the show, as he always does. Here as Billy, he is this near childlike character who is honestly, just trying to help is friend Marty and battle his feels about someone. Sam Rockwell has charisma and charm that fills countless movies, from comedies to dramas. He is a fantastic actor and here, he just shows off his skills.
Seven Psychopaths enjoy little success despite the critical acclaim. Perhaps one of the better movies of 2012, Seven Psychopaths sits on my list of underrated movies that wasn’t given the right time of day by audiences. This movie allows us to truly appreciate McDonaghs transfer, as he is aleady racking up an impressive list of movies. Once you unearth this gem, you will find one of your favourite movies that is crazy because, life and writing is a little bit crazy.
TTFN
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