The Fundy Film Society

Seven Psycopaths

Seven Psychopaths
Written and directed by Oscar-winner Martin McDonagh (In Bruges), this comedy follows struggling screenwriter Marty Faranan (Colin Farrell) who dreams of finishing his screenplay, “Seven Psychopaths,” but inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends kidnap a gangster’s beloved Shih Tzu Bonny.

Billy Bickle (Sam Rockwell), an unemployed actor and part time dog thief, is Marty’s best friend, who wants to help him by any means necessary. All Marty needs is a little focus and inspiration. Hans (Christopher Walken) is Billy’s partner in crime. The Shih Tzu belongs to a religious man with a violent past, the psychopathetic gangster Charlie (Woody Harrelson). He is unpredictable, extremely violent and would not think twice about killing anyone or anything associated with the theft. Marty is going to get all the focus and inspiration he needs, just as long as he lives to tell the tale.

“This is a delightfully goofy, self-aware movie that knows it is a movie. You’ve heard of a movie within a movie? I think this is a movie without a movie. Some of it happens to Marty, some of it happens in Marty’s imagination and some of it seems to happen in one category and then invades another.” (Roger Ebert,Chicago Sun-Times)

“Seven Psychopaths is about seven times more clever than most Hollywood comedies. And way more demented. Men in movies are often just overgrown boys, and Seven Psychopaths is out to prove it—in the most twisted, hilarious way possible. It’s a devilishly smart film that not only sends up the hipster crime genre, but also makes a powerful statement about violence—in a brilliantly satirical way. Think Pulp Fiction with more laughs and cartoonish violence, crossed with an edgier Ocean’s Eleven and touches ofThe Usual Suspects and Smokin’ Aces. Then add a choice cast of actors as unhinged characters who could easily be 10-year-old boys—if those boys were also mental cases.” (Claudia Puig, USA Today)

“An energetically demented psycho-killer comedy set in faux-noir L.A., Seven Psychopaths, rollicks along to the unique narrative beat and language stylings of Anglo-Irish writer-director Martin McDonagh, channeling Quentin Tarantino. The oddballs, miscreants, bumblers, and loons who get up to all kinds of no good in this meta tale of moviemaking and crazy ambition include Colin Farrell as Marty, an alcoholic screenwriter; a full-tilt-loopy Sam Rockwell as Martin’s maniacally eager-to-help best friend, Billy; and Christopher Walken (who’s got first dibs forever on playing unhinged gentlemen) as Billy’s partner in the business of dognapping. Between shoot-outs, female characters getting offed (while the male characters discuss the sexism of female characters getting offed), and Tom Waits forever fondling a pet rabbit, McDonagh has a fine time deconstructing movie genres in the SoCal sunshine. So do we.” (Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly)