Seven Psychopaths is a very strange film. Very, very strange. It’s a perfect example of misleading
marketing. All of the trailers that I
saw billed Psychopaths as a
crime-infused comedy about seven crazy people, wrapped up in a dog-kidnapping
scheme. What I actually saw wasn’t
anything close to being a comedy. I
mean, there are definitely comedic beats and some pretty funny stuff peppered
throughout, but in reality Psychopaths
is tonally all over the place,
bouncing from some of the aforementioned comedic bits to incredibly dramatic
moments that left my brain completely confused as to how I was supposed to
feel.
I actually
enjoyed Psychopaths for the most
part. What really bothers me are the
wild tonal shifts that happen incredibly frequently throughout the film. I kind of understand why it was marketed as a
comedy; I couldn’t imagine a trailer that could encapsulate what the film is
really like. There are some moments in Psychopaths that are heart-wrenchingly
sad and not in the least bit comedic. I
was honestly shocked at what depths the film is willing to go to. Don’t get me wrong – these dramatic moments
and storylines are intriguing and kept my attention, but the problem is that a
funny line or scene would come right after something that horrified me; I
wanted to laugh but felt very awkward doing so.
The actual
narrative structure of Psychopaths is
by no means conventional. Yes, the main
narrative arc revolves around Sam Rockwell’s Billy, who kidnaps dogs for
Christopher Walken’s Hans to return for a reward. Billy steals mobster Charlie’s (Woody
Harrelson) Shih Tzu and all sorts of bloody mayhem ensues. However, what the film really is about is Colin Farrell’s Marty; he’s a screenwriter who
is trying to write a film called “Seven Psychopaths.” The trailers listed the seven psychopaths of
our film as being seven characters involved in the story. In reality, the “seven psychopaths” of Marty’s
film are the actual psychopaths. Some of
the characters in Psychopaths
actually end up becoming some the “psychopaths” for Marty’s screenplay. This aspect wasn’t even hinted at in the
marketing; some of the “Psychopaths” labeled
in trailers are in the film for fewer than five minutes (Olga Kurylenko is on
screen for literally fewer than five minutes).
What I
enjoyed most about Seven Psychopaths
is the unconventional nature of the narrative.
I was wholeheartedly confused for a large swath of the runtime, as we
bounce from character to character, both in the actual film and in Marty’s
“Seven Psychopaths.” After I sifted
through the fictional characters and the ones actually populating the film, I
was able to slowly appreciate how the story was unfolding in front of me. By the time we reach the climax of the film
(a fantastic stand-off in the desert) I was completely invested in the
characters and where the story was headed.
Because of the story-flipping nature of Marty’s interwoven screenplay,
the actual events of the finale could be left up to interpretation; you aren’t
quite sure what is real and what isn’t.
It’s very
difficult to peg what type of moviegoer would enjoy Seven Psychopaths; I supposed if you like very dark, violent dramas
with some humor splashed around you may enjoy Psychopaths. I have a strong
feeling that repeat viewings will highly benefit the overall enjoyment level of
seeing this film. There’s so much going
on at times and as Christopher Walken’s Hans puts it: “it’s got layers.” It’s not one of my favorite films of the
year, but it sure does have its moments.
Seven Psychopaths is a very odd, tonally uneven film
that may leave many quite confused.
The Bearded
Bullet.
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