Seven Psychopaths

Seven Words for Seven Psychopaths: Insane. Violent. Bizarre. Tense. Funny. Loony. Good.

For more words, read on.

Billy (Sam Rockwell) and Hans (Christopher Walken) specialize in being Good Samaritans for owners of lost dogs...lost because they stole them. Billy's roommate, Marty (Colin Farrell), just wants to be left alone to write his newest screenplay: Seven Psychopaths. To inspire himself, Marty listens to the stories of Serial-Killer Killer Zachariah (Tom Waits), an avenging Quaker (Harry Dean Stanton) and the on-going hunt for a Killer who whacks Mafia Wiseguys.

One day, Billy takes Bonny the Shih Tzu, whose owner is Mafia man Charlie (Woody Harrelson). Instead of doing the sane thing and returning the dog, Billy decides to hold on to the little pooch. Naturally, Billy and Hans face the wrath of the world's angriest pet owner and his crew. Meanwhile, Marty has to find someway to survive this madness and get his film made.

Writer/Director Martin McDonagh follows up his debut film, In Bruges, with this twisted comedy. Its screenplay is filled with great dialogue and some effective twists. Its ensemble of actors, particularly Walken and Rockwell, is perfectly cast. Best of all, it's a dark satire that wonderfully mocks the absurdities of violence. It has fun with it for a while; the pointlessness of it all hits home when it gets serious.

From its title, and much of its content, Seven Psychopaths sounds like an unappealing film. But for those willing to see what it's about, they'll find a much better work than Hollywood's usual spectacles of Ultra-Violence.