Armed with an intriguing title and oozing suave cool, Seven Psychopaths is destined for cult status. What movie starring Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson and Christopher Walken wouldn’t achieve some level of notoriety? Throw in some dark Tarantino style crime comedy and you’ve got yourself a locked-and-loaded shotgun ready to blow your head off… with laughter.

Each of these cocky actors bring their own variety of on-screen charisma to the film, playing oddball characters they could have written for themselves. Each actor accomplished in their own right, adds their own spice to this dark comedy concoction that ranges from quirky off-beat comedy to ultra-violent crime thriller. Their career consistency ensures a solid ensemble performance with Rockwell and Walken carrying the majority of the story.

It’s an unusual comedy crime caper in the way that it’s quite unpredictable and experimental as a script writer (Farrell) accompanies the troupe as a passenger, conceptualising his own script, while playing out the reality of another. He’s there as a keyhole for the audience, a measure of normalcy in a story that seems to flow from one fascinating scene to another, almost by association. Imagined scenarios for each psychopath play out between the troupe’s shenanigans as a beloved Shih Tzu sets the psychos in motion.

“You think I’m not serious just because I carry a Shih Tzu?”

The dark comedy and warped sense of humour is at the core of this hugely entertaining character-driven caper. Framing a movie within a movie gives the filmmakers license to bend the rules, reflect on them and alter the rules altogether. This gives the story detours to uncover both “real” and imagined psychopaths, while the charismatic co-leads march the circus onward.

In case the title didn’t give it away, Seven Psychopaths is not for everyone. There aren’t too many constraints on this film, allowing it to defy genre conventions in a dark, playful and curious way. The storyline echoes The Dog Problem, a Woody Allen style comedy set in LA with Giovanni Ribisi and the handling resonates strongly with Horrible Bosses and Martin McDonagh’s other film, In Bruges.

Seven Psychopaths is fragmented. While perpetually fascinating, the tonal shifts and buffet of intriguing stories and colourful characters, never really amount to anything substantial. The end result is wildly entertaining, wickedly funny, crazy charming yet slightly disjointed and fleeting.

The bottom line: Zany

Release date: 12 April, 2013
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