Martin McDonagh just can't help himself. With the safety blanket of 'bad' characters, he peppers his screenplays with slurs and unnecessarily offensive statements - to the point that they don't actually add anything to the narrative or tell you anything about the on-screen people who say them. The meek meta aspects of 'Seven Psychopaths (2012)' aren't used to genuinely challenge his worst habits, rather to poke fun at them while being allowed to partake in them unashamedly. However, hanging a lantern on his difficulty writing women or his propensity to use outdated language and stereotypes doesn't absolve him of anything. In fact, it makes it clear that he knows exactly what he's doing; if he ever wanted to feign ignorance, he's no longer able to. This may just be McDonagh's weakest film, a pseudo anti-thriller/ neo-noir that aims to be subversive of the tropes it itself identifies via its screenwriter characters. It's still a relatively entertaining experience, though, despite its legitimate issues. Its cast is notably good, each member delivering a strong performance no matter how short-changed they are by the script (Olga Kurylenko and Abbie Cornish, in particular). Colin Farrell sturdily plays the only non-psychopath in the main group, essentially acting as the audience surrogate as he's taken on this wild ride that starts with a kidnapped dog and only escalates from there. A couple of his line deliveries are spectacular and he's a compelling lead considering he's also arguably the least interesting. Sam Rockwell is, as always, a delight as the notably off-the-chain dognapper who brings the wrath of the equally strong Woody Harrelson's character down on his friends. I especially enjoyed the scenes which contrast the latter's utter ruthlessness towards humans with his endearing affection for his dog, and I wish that aspect was explored more as it gives depth to an otherwise pretty stock antagonist. Christopher Walken delivers yet another performance that makes me wonder whether or not he's actually a good actor (iconic, yes, but good?), but he is - of course - really fun to watch and he features in what's easily the flick's funniest yet most suspenseful scene ("put your hands up"). There are some enjoyable sequences spread across the fairly scattershot story, and in general the picture is engaging throughout. It lacks the punch of some of McDonagh's better work, though. Still, it's a decent enough effort overall.
Review of Seven Psychopaths
