W.A.F. REVIEWS: "Seven Psychopaths" (2012)

(Alright, so as some of you remember, I used to have a film review blog a few years ago called Ginger Film Reviews. Well, since we’re now doing W.A.F. Reviews on here, I figured it would be cool to bring some of my reviews from the old blog over to FNX. I will warn you, these will feature spoilers for whatever film the review is about, so be prepared. Enjoy!)

Time for something a little different. I was thinking about what the next review should be when I came upon this film. I decided to give it a try, and trust me when I say, I am happy I made that decision!

The story is centered around a writer named Marty Faranan, an alcoholic writer who’s currently in the middle of developing a screenplay about seven different psychopaths. But he’s having trouble working the story out. His best friend, Billy Bickle, is an unemployed actor who actually makes money by kidnapping dogs, then returning them to their owners and collecting the reward money. Helping Billy in his scheme is Hans Kieslowski, a religious man who’s wife is currently in the hospital battling cancer.

Billy and Hans end up stealing a Shih Tzu that actually belongs to violent and murderous gangster Charlie Costello, who loves his little pet more than life itself and immediately goes on a hunt to find his beloved dog. Meanwhile, Billy is trying to help Marty with his screenplay, and suggests that one of the psychopaths should be based on this new serial killer in the news who “only kills mid-to-high ranking members of the Italian American crime syndicate”, then leaves a playing card, the Jack of Diamonds, at the bodies.

Pretty soon, everything hits the fan. Charlie figures out who took his dog, then kills Hans’ wife in the hospital. After hearing the news, Billy, who was also fooling around with Charlie’s girlfriend, shoots her in the stomach, killing her, and revealing himself to be the Jack of Diamonds killer. He quickly rushes to his apartment, where he loads up Marty & Hans, along with the dog, into his car, and they journey into the desert in order to hide out from Costello.

Things seem to be going good. Marty has decided to stop drinking until his screenplay is finished, and has even offered Billy the opportunity to help him write it. However, after a trip to a local story, it is revealed to Marty and Hans through a newspaper that their friend is indeed the Jack of Diamonds killer. Not knowing how to handle the situation, Marty returns to drinking, and after finally confronting Billy, stuff starts to go sour once again. Billy calls Costello, tells him where he can find them in the desert, then proceeds to set their only car on fire. Billy is preparing for a final battle, and Marty, who hates guns, is beside himself. Hans ends up wandering off. Charlie arrives on the scene by himself, and is immediately shot in the back by Billy. Marty decides what Billy did was wrong, and tries to get Charlie to a hospital before he dies, leaving Billy alone with the dog and Charlie’s flare gun.

Hans ends up wandering to a gas station, where Costello’s boys are waiting for his signal with the flare gun. After a standoff, featuring an unarmed Hans refusing to raise his hands while a shotgun is pointed straight at him, and the bad guys completely caught off guard by his actions, Hans reaches for something in his jacket and is immediately shot in the chest, killing him. Marty and the shot Charlie run into Charlie’s boys, and Costello immediately takes Marty hostage.

Returning to where Billy has the dog, Marty realizes its time for the final shootout that Billy kept wanting to put into the script. Billy guns down the bulk of Costello’s men, then tells Marty to take off and finish the script while he stays and deals with the gangsters. Costello ends up shooting Billy in the head, and cops arrive right after. But instead of coming to Charlie when called, the dog stays by the side of the dying Billy. Marty visits the site where Hans was gunned down, and finds him holding a tape recorder which features Hans’ last words, helping Marty finally finish his script.

I find this movie to be really well done. It’s directed by Martin McDonagh, who had previously worked with Colin Farrell in 2008’s “In Bruges”. The story is fantastic, and the use of cut scenes to feature the physical representations of the psychopaths in the stories that Marty comes up with are a really nice touch.

The cast chosen was exceptional. Let’s go down the list: Colin Farrell as Marty, Sam Rockwell as Billy Bickle, Christopher Walken as Hans Kieslowski, Woody Harrelson as Charlie Costello, Abbie Cornish as Kaya, Olga Kurylenko as Angela, and Harry Dean Stanton as the Quaker, just to name a few. All phenomenal choices who fit perfectly in their respective roles. I’ve always been a fan of Sam Rockwell, and he really shines here as the mentally unstable best friend and serial killer. The relationship between Marty and Billy is well told, as Billy basis his reasons for killing as a way to motivate Marty to finish his script.

Now obviously this movie is not for children, but I do recommend it to everyone reading this. Be ready to take your mind on a very surreal journey!