In the 1990’s, everyone tried to emulate the Quentin Tarantino way of making movies. They’d be ultra-violent, chock full of dialogue exchanges and full of wry one-liners you’d be quoting until the cows came home. None could hit the heights in terms of both quality and box office of “Pulp Fiction”, but there were still a few good movies to emerge from that period of filmmaking.
“Seven Psychopaths” would’ve fit into that era nicely, with it’s screenplay thats full of blood, raunchy quips and situations that are among the oddest you’ll find in a movie this year. It’s all so over-stimulating and different, that it has to be admired to a degree, and yet, I still have some reservations.
Marty (Colin Farrell) is a Hollywood screenwriter trying to write a script that deals with psychopaths and looks to his buddy Billy (Sam Rockwell, having a blast) for help. Unfortunately, Billy and his pal Hans have a dog-kidnapping business that’s about to blow up when they steal a pooch that belongs to a dangerous gangster (Woody Harrelson). Marty is soon caught up in the danger with Billy and Hans, and that’s only the beginning of this insane flick.
This movie has one of the best screenplays of the year, full of winning dialogue (the exchange that opens the movie is simply wonderful) and violence that lends new meaning to the words ‘graphic violence’. However, the movie feels just a bit too busy, filled with too many characters who really don’t do much, especially a promising fellow named Zachariah who has a disturbing backstory and a cuddly rabbit that he holds at all times. You don’t see much of him, but Tom Waits plays him perfectly, giving him personality and uniqueness among a cast that might as well be the very definition of the word unique.
The main problem may be the tone of the movie itself, which feels like it jumps around too much. Sometimes the movie is a straight up comedy, then a drama, then an action movie and then swerving back to comedy in the span of mere minutes. It makes you feel discombobulated and not really sure what the movie is trying to accomplish. Not helping matters is the fact that the movie is essentially a parody of action movies, disparaging violence than embracing it. When it lampoons modern day action flicks successfully, it’s a tour de force. But when it falters, it’s like watching a car go off a cliff: tragic and probably could’ve been easily avoided.
The cast does a fine job with the material: Christopher Walken in particular is exceptional and Sam Rockwell is having a great time playing both supportive buddy and insane kidnapper. I’ve always enjoyed Sam, so it’s good that he gets a role that let’s him flaunt his talents in all ways possible. As for Woody Harrelson, he’s one of the best things about the movie, possibly the only real person in the whole movie as he just wants his dog back. A refreshingly simple motive and one that works well for the character.
It’s odd, it’s weird, but “Seven Psychopaths” does accomplish its task of making fun of the cliches of mainstream action movies about 60 percent of the time. It’s not always firing on all cylinders, but when it is, it’s something else to behold. With a winning cast and sharp dialogue, “Seven Psychopaths” would’ve been better, but it’s still pretty dang great.
