As this film opens a couple of killers discuss a hit they are preparing for; then a man approaches from behind and shoots each of them before placing a Jack of Hearts on each body. We then cut to struggling screen writer Marty. He is working on a screenplay titled 'Seven Psychopaths' and his friend Billy is helping him by providing various anecdotes he might use... he also posts an advert in the paper inviting psychopaths to tell Marty their stories. That is the least of their worries though; Billy has stolen a dog belonging to psychotic gangster Charlie's beloved pet Shih Tzu. Charlie will do anything to get it back and that means killing anybody close to the person who took it. As the story continues it is clear that the things that happen will provide Marty with his story... assuming he can survive of course.

This black comedy certainly won't be for everybody; it is violent, sometimes very violent and the language is stronger than I expected in a '15' certificate film. If you can get past this though it is very funny. The way the various anecdotes tie in to the main story is well done and not too obvious. The four main characters were a lot of fun; Colin Farrell impresses as Marty, a man clearly out of his depth; Sam Rockwell puts in a fine performance as Billy, a character who is more than a little disturbed and Christopher Walken is great as Hans, a peaceful character with a past. There is also a solid performance from Woody Harrelson as antagonist Charlie. There are plenty of laughs to be had but also some real shocks; especially in the scene where we learn the identity of the 'Jack of Diamonds' psychopath. Overall I enjoyed this although perhaps not quite as much as writer/director Martin McDonagh's 'In Bruges'... I'd certainly recommend it to anybody who enjoyed that film.

In the marketing for "Seven Psychopaths," CBS Films wants you to count the film's seven stars, but the one real psychopath (and I mean that in most positive and endearing way possible) that matters is writer and director Martin McDonagh, whose sophomore film and follow-up to "In Bruges" is a cockeyed stroke of genius. Sticking with what the marketing tells us, this is a film about a couple dognappers who steal a mob boss's Shih Tzu and get their friend and girlfriends wrapped up in the mess. What it doesn't tell you is that Colin Farrell's character is a screenwriter working on a script called "Seven Psychopaths" and all he has so far is the title. Oh, and Farrell's character is named Marty. If you can't tell where this is going, let's just say that "Seven Psychopaths" is one of those films that reserves a special place for movie junkies and cinephiles. Everyone will find a great deal to laugh at (especially Sam Rockwell),but only a certain percentage will have a gleeful appreciation for the meta-narrative at work. Luckily, you don't have to identify as a film nerd to enjoy "Seven Psychopaths." The film is by no means exclusive or inaccessible, it just reaches another level of storytelling and maniacal brilliance if you can make those connections. Beyond that layer, the film offers a potent combination of semi-gratuitous violence, loony antics and some stirring poignancy. Throw the meta layer back in, and you have the equivalent of if Charlie Kaufman's "Adaptation" had been directed by Guy Ritchie. The film begins with Marty, an alcoholic writer, looking for inspiration for his seven psychopaths. His first psychopath is inspired by the Jack of Diamonds Killer, a guy running around Los Angeles killing off mid-to-high-ranking mob men. Funny then, that his nutty friend Billy (Rockwell) should happen to steal Bonny, the precious Shih Tzu belonging to Charlie (Woody Harrelson),a sensitive yet unforgiving mob boss. Charlie is able to track down Billy's partner, Hans (Christopher Walken),and the trio is forced to make themselves scarce. If you're still using the poster to count, then you're probably wondering about the other three "psychopaths." Well, one is a true psychopath, and that's Zachariah (Tom Waits),who responds to an add that Billy put in the paper to try and help Marty find more inspiration. Zachariah has a fascinating story of little consequence to the film, about how he and his wife decades ago went on a serial killer killing spree, gorily offing renowned American killers including Zodiac. His wife left him, however, for getting too soft. As for the ladies, they have actually no bearing on the movie at all. Abbie Cornish and Olga Kurylenko amount to wasted talents, which is only bothersome because of the marketing (or, I suppose, if you're a hardcore feminist). The four main players, however, give some of the best turns of their careers. Rockwell has never been funnier playing his cocky persona. Billy is so blissfully and purposefully ignorant of reality and never lacks for surprises. Harrelson, having played many an oddball and many a hard-ass, effectively blends both in Charlie. But it's Walken who has one of his best roles in ages. Hans has all his marbles; he's even a sweetheart, he just plays it abnormally cool in certain situations. Whereas Marty overreacts to the danger this wild premise brings, Hans handles it as if he expected it. Consequently, his humorous lines and moments really cut the tension. Somehow, McDonagh makes "Seven Psychopaths" completely hysterical and off-the-wall crazy without completely shattering its believability. The characters, though psychopaths each in their own way, are carefully grounded and humanized. McDonagh gives them each something we can connect to emotionally, something we can identify with, in spite of their irrational quirks. The film occasionally takes some sharp turns into eye-opening dramatic territory, but it doesn't result in the jarring tonal nightmare you would expect that to yield from lesser auteurs. And there's still this whole other stratosphere that the film enters in the screenplay within a screenplay context. Marty sets out at the beginning to write a film about peace and love that features psychopaths and violence, or something completely oxymoronic to that affect, and McDonagh finds a way (in his interpretation),to make that happen. "Seven Psychopaths" seems likely to face a fate similar to "In Bruges" — not a whole lot of renown amongst the general public, but heaps of praise from those who ingest films on a regular basis. This one definitely has more appeal (more stars, set in Los Angeles, etc.),but both films have similar sensibilities. McDonagh has a real knack for playing around with clichés and expectations. He twists them around into something delightfully unexpected that despite seemingly outwardly silly, is quite meaningful, shocking and doubtlessly entertaining. ~Steven C

I'm not really a fan of this genre of film, which consists of horrible characters doing horrible things to each other, but SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS is worth a look due to the unusual aspects of the storyline. Given that the protagonist is a scriptwriter there's a whole lot of self-referencing going on here which gives it a very post-modern feel a la SCREAM.

The story is complete nonsense of course, involving the hunt for a stolen shih tzu and the owner's increasingly desperate - not to mention deranged - attempts to get it back. The draw is that all of the main cast members are, you guessed it, psychopaths, although there's also a lot of shaggy dog storytelling going on too so you're never quite sure what's what.

The main flaw of this film lies in the unlikeable characters. Colin Farrell's lead is a real bore and reminded me how I find it really easy to dislike Farrell when he's given the wrong role. Sam Rockwell spends the whole of the running time hamming things up, and it's left to Christopher Walken and Woody Harrelson in support to make the best of things. I've noticed that director Martin McDonagh is very good at shooting action and movement scenes (as with IN BRUGES and SIX SHOOTER) but as a writer he still needs to work on a few basics, such as crafting likable protagonists.