Seven Psychopaths... I watched the dark comedy starring Colin Farrell as a booze-drinking screenwriter with Sam Rockwell as his dog-stealing best friend earlier this week, and I must say...this is a great flick. I like films whose story is based on a fictional film being written in the actual film itself (seeing as how I myself have written a few scripts with movie-within-a-movie plotlines in the past). Seven Psychopaths has a formidable cast, with Woody Harrelson as the mob boss whose dog, a beloved Shih Tzu, is unwittingly stolen by Rockwell in one of his canine-kidnapping schemes, Christopher Walken as Rockwell's dog-napping partner who also has a dark past (concealed by a handkerchief wrapped around his neck), Abbie Cornish as Farrell's girlfriend who ends up dumping him early on in the movie, and Olga Kurylenko as Harrelson's girlfriend who's dispatched by the first of the Seven Psychopaths: A serial killer known as the "Jack O'Diamonds".
In terms of the Seven Psychopaths themselves, they are an interesting bunch: the Jack O'Diamonds, a Quaker bent on (non-violent) revenge, Charlie Costello (played by Harrelson), a Vietnamese priest who vows vengeance after his family is killed in the 1968 My Lai Massacre, a pet rabbit-owning serial killer who travels around the country killing other serial killers, an African-American girl—who's married to the rabbit owner—that murders serial killers as well, and Billy Bickle (played by Rockwell)...who also happens to be the Jack O'Diamonds.
The most memorable of the seven psychopaths is Billy Bickle himself. More hilarious than he is intimidating, Bickle does all that he can to help Marty Faranan (played by Farrell) develop his screenplay, Seven Psychopaths...even if it means donning a red ski mask and going out and about eliminating Italian mobsters. The funniest scene in the movie is when Bickle—who along with Marty and Hans (played by Walken) are hiding in the desert because of Charlie Costello—comes up with an action-packed conclusion to Marty's screenplay. Won't elaborate on the details, but it involves a shootout that also includes the Vietnamese priest using a flamethrower, the Jack O'Diamonds using a crossbow along with firearms to neutralize Costello's men, and Kaya (played by Cornish) abruptly entering the scene wearing a very wet T-shirt with nothing underneath. Twisted, I know.
Staying true to the movie-within-a-movie motif, the climax of Seven Psychopaths (the actual movie, that is) does end in a shootout...but not one as wacky and epic as the version that Billy Bickle conjured up. Seven Psychopaths is a very quirky film, and if you like quirky films, then you should definitely check this one out. Of course, another reason why I like this movie is because I worked on it as a background actor earlier this year. Yes, I spotted myself onscreen. Will have to wait till the DVD comes out to provide proof to y'all. Carry on.
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