Seven Psychopaths: Short and Sweet

In terms of compiling a successful cinematic formula, deferring to an ensemble cast is usually a safe move, especially when a majority of the names attached to the project benefit from diverse and loyal fan-bases.  When I first caught wind of Seven Psychopaths, the inclusion of Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, and Woody Harrelson was more than enough to pique my interest, but the return of a legend like Christopher Walken to the limelight was just icing on the cake.  Granted, based on the trailer and the involvement of director Martin McDonagh, we were all but guaranteed an offbeat and thoroughly insane movie-going experience, but perhaps the time was ripe to take audiences out of their comfort zone.  And it is also worth noting that October and November are usually rife with Awards Season sweethearts, so based on a positive reception at the Toronto International Film Festival, Seven Psychopaths seemed primed for success.  Needless to say, my expectations were high, and by all accounts, it didn’t look like Seven Psychopaths would disappoint.

You know, I’ve been meditating for the past few days on Seven Psychopaths, but for the life of me, I cannot decide whether this oddball film was brilliant or a smoldering piece of incoherent insanity.  The talented cast is not able to disguise the fact that this black comedy is plagued with an erratic script that goes absolutely nowhere and often defers to senseless violence instead of spending time on silly things like character development.  Christopher Walken is enjoyable enough with his trademarked personality, but the real stars of the film are Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell, both of whom clearly had fun with their roles and treat the audience to thoroughly psychotic performances.  Beyond that highlight though, Seven Psychopaths remains far too confusing and overly long to be enjoyable; you keep praying there will be some kind of pay-off, but are ultimately left wanting.  In the end, even if you are a fan of the cast and director, the truth remains that Seven Psychopaths misses the mark and isn’t something that demands your attention. 

     

Overall Recommendation: Low

Seven Psychopaths: Full Review

Seven Psychopaths - (October 12, 2012): R

Distributor: CBS Films

                                      

Opening Weekend Box Office: #9 with $4,174,915

Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $11,927,000

Gross Revenue: $11,927,000

Production Budget: $15 million

Director: Martin McDonagh

 
In 2008, writer-producer-director Martin McDonagh teamed with Colin Farrell to wow critics and audiences with the quirky cult status black comedy, In Bruges; so it is no wonder that analysts started to pay attention when Seven Psychopaths was first announced.  Given a successful debut and the awarding of festival sweetheart status at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, critical buzz was understandably strong for this ensemble project’s October release, but in terms of drawing an audience, that responsibility would fall to the star-studded cast.  I have always been a fan of Colin Farrell and Woody Harrelson, not to mention an ardent supporter of the Hollywood cinematic genius that is Christopher Walken, but one of the biggest selling points of Seven Psychopaths was probably going to be Sam Rockwell.  Though he has been a relatively consistent presence in theaters for years, I have always felt that Sam Rockwell has been shamefully underrated, so when early reviews put extra emphasis on the strength of his individual performance, I knew I had to see the film that would finally give the actor the credit he deserved.  True, offbeat black comedies aren’t usually my preference when heading to the theater, but Seven Psychopaths had grabbed my attention, and I was more than willing to give the film a chance.

Focusing on some of the weirdest and most insane characters that you will ever encounter, Seven Psychopaths focuses on struggling writer and borderline alcoholic Marty Faranan (Colin Farrell), as he is desperately trying to finish the screenplay for his next film, “Seven Psychopaths.”  Marty is continually distracted by his best friend Billy Bickle (Sam Rockwell), an out-of-work actor who moonlights as a dog-thief, kidnapping pets and then returning them to their distraught owners for a reward.  Billy works with his elderly partner, Hans Kieslowski (Christopher Walken), and enjoys his thoroughly immoral scam, but things take a turn for the worst when the duo kidnaps a prized Shih Tzu.  It turns out that the dog belongs to the psychotic Charlie Costello (Woody Harrelson), a violent criminal who will stop at nothing to reclaim his beloved pet and swears bloody vengeance on the kidnappers.  Given his proximity to the situation, Marty soon finds himself on the run alongside Billy and Hans, struggling to survive while coincidently finding new inspiration for his unfinished script.

Though I do respect the considerable risk inherent in such an offbeat plot hook, the story is far from the strongest component of Seven Psychopaths…that accolade is saved for the performances of the all-star cast.  It should be absolutely no surprise that Christopher Walken made the most of his every second on-camera, and Colin Farrell has always been a stable bet, but the real value lied in both Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell.  As the befuddled gangster, Harrelson is a blast to watch as he alternates between decidedly non-threatening bumbler and chill-down-your spine psycho, making him the type of villain that you cannot help but enjoy.  And then there is Sam Rockwell, who is off-the-charts crazy and brings to life the most engaging character within the film; even as the rest of the film’s appeal begins to wear a little thin, Rockwell is the one that will keep you watching.  Unfortunately, the engaging cast is where the charm of Seven Psychopaths both begins and abruptly ends, because the narrative flow, plot development, and overall direction are just too strange to be acceptable.

Given the simple, and albeit weird, plot synopsis of Seven Psychopaths, imagine my surprise when the narrative inexplicably chose to focus on a number of chaotic subplots, few of which added anything more than extra confusion to the overall film.  The narrative focus regularly jumps between realities, either detailing the characters within Marty’s script or focusing on the canine larceny criminal masterminds, and the decision, though creative, suffers from shoddy execution.  About an hour into the running time, it becomes painfully clear that you have little grasp on what exactly is unfolding onscreen, and that is largely due to the filmmakers simply trying to smash too much into one film, meaning that few of the subplots are resolved in a satisfying or altogether acceptable manner.  In fact, had it not been for my own loyalty to the cast and the enjoyable performances that they delivered with little help from any other filmmaking elements, I probably would have given up and walked out of the theater.  In the end, though Seven Psychopaths isn’t overtly horrible, I clearly don’t understand all of the praise that critics have been delivering, because to me, there is a BIG difference between creative inspiration and chaotic, incoherent, insanity.

Well, I certainly didn’t agree with the critics in relation to Seven Psychopaths, and according to the numbers, neither did mass audiences, as the R-rated comedy opened with a pitiful $4 million, just enough for a ninth-place ranking.  Admittedly, that R-rating and strange premise was going to be a handicap when weighed against other openers like Argo, Sinister, and Here Comes the Boom, but I still expected the star-studded cast to draw a larger crowd.  Thankfully, a modest $15 million production budget will help CBS Films’ newest release from being a complete disaster, and an upcoming release in the U.K. will undoubtedly drive foreign ticket sales.  Who knows, maybe McDonagh’s style of filmmaking will have a stronger resonance with British audiences and the black comedy will end up enjoying a profitable theatrical run.  However, my opinion will not change as it relates to domestic audiences…Seven Psychopaths is far from anything that you would have to rush to the theater to see.

Overall Recommendation: Low

Taken 2: Short and Sweet

Though he has had one of the most successful careers in Hollywood and has brought several charismatic and engaging characters to the silver screen, veteran actor Liam Neeson cemented his reputation as an undeniable badass with 2008’s Taken, a modest juggernaut that took audiences by storm and represented a veritable goldmine.  Given that kind of success, it didn’t surprise anyone when 20^th Century Fox announced a sequel and audience buzz went through the roof for one of the most anticipated films of the fall season.  Yet, many had to question whether the sequel could really advance the story of the original; if it was a stretch to believe that anyone would be foolish enough to mess with Neeson’s character again, how were we supposed to swallow that his family would travel to Istanbul after the last ill-conceived trip?  And imagine my surprise when I saw that Taken 2 only had a meager 7% pre-release approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes; if this sequel really was as horrible as it had been labeled by critics, it would represent one of the biggest cinematic let-downs in years.  Then again, I would be happy if this film was simply 90 minutes of terrorists lining up to get their necks snapped by Neeson, so regardless of what critics were saying, there was no way I was going to miss Taken 2.

While it certainly doesn’t match the 2008 original, Taken 2 is nowhere near as bad as some critics would have you believe, thanks largely to another strong Neeson performance that overshadows otherwise mediocre elements.  Sadly, most of the charm that was present in the original Taken is missing in this installment, and overall energy is considerably lower, thereby marking a large disparity between what was promised and what was ultimately presented.  Perhaps the biggest misstep came from Luc Besson granting directorial reigns to Oliver Megaton, who inexplicably chose shaky camerawork to transform most of the fight scenes from exciting to nauseating.  There are enough creative spy elements to maintain Liam Neeson’s reputation as reigning cinematic ass-kicker, but outside of him, the rest of the appeal for this sequel is razor-thin.  Taken 2 may not be overtly terrible, but it certainly didn’t live-up to pre-release hype, and that means that, unlike its predecessor, this sequel is far from a must-see.        

Overall Recommendation: Medium

Taken 2: Full Review

Taken 2 - (October 5, 2012): PG-13

Distributor: 20^th Century Fox

                                      

Opening Weekend Box Office: #1 with $49,514,769

Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $86,759,000

Gross Revenue: $218,809,000

Production Budget: $45 million

Director: Oliver Megaton

 

Back in 2008, Luc Besson’s modestly budgeted tale of an ex-CIA agent tearing apart Paris to retrieve his kidnapped daughter hit the box office like a lightning bolt and garnered Liam Neeson a whole new generation of fans, so I’m sure that many, like myself, were downright giddy when the trailer for Taken 2 was released.  Now, from a marketing standpoint, it was near-impossible to create a defined selling point and attention-grabber like the now-iconic “good luck” phone message from the original trailer, but given the massive fan base that now exists for the Brian Mills character, I don’t think that 20^th Century Fox had too much to worry about.  And, while the original was initially perceived as a standalone tale that didn’t really lend itself to a sequel, I had to admit that I was very curious concerning the expanded roles that Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen were being granted this time around…and really, who wouldn’t want to see more of Liam Neeson beating the hell out of criminals?  Unfortunately, warning bells started to go off when I saw the shamefully low critical reception that this sequel was receiving, thereby generating memories of other sequel missteps like Hangover 2; but then again, critics weren’t raving about the original when it was first released, so maybe everything would end up all right in the end.  After a ridiculously strong September that included entries like Dredd, End of Watch, and Looper, Taken 2 had potential to be the icing on the cake for loyal theatrical audiences and inject some much-needed life into the box office.

Following the considerable bloodshed and destruction that Brian Mills (Liam Neeson) used to punish sex-traffickers during the events of the original film, Taken 2 opens with Murad Hoxha (Rade Šerbedžija), the leader of the Albanian gang that was killed in Paris, swearing revenge on the American who took away his family.  Conveniently enough, Mills happens to be working a security detail in Istanbul and is soon surprised when his daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace), and ex-wife, Lenore (Famke Janssen), arrive for a much-needed vacation.  While her parents decide to tour the city, Kim stays behind in the hotel to allow them time to rekindle their relationship, but unfortunately, Hoxha’s men have already identified and seek to capture each member of the Mills family.  Though Brian soon realizes that he is being pursued, Lenore is captured and he is forced to surrender, but not before he is able to warn Kim and help her evade capture.  Facing a seemingly perilous situation, the ex-CIA agent must use all of the skills at his disposal to save himself and his family, all the while ensuring that these criminals never threaten the safety of his loved ones again.

As one might expect, Liam Neeson is once again at the top of his game in Taken 2, dominating the screen and solidifying his bankability as an A-lister, brutally and creatively punishing the villains of this narrative in a way that is guaranteed to please audiences.  While the rushed and energetic pacing of the original is absent this time around, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some downright cool elements present, whether that involves a gripping car chase through the streets of Istanbul or a sequence where Kim helps her father by using grenades as a form of echo-location.  And, even though it may be a bit of a stretch of the imagination, it is still entertaining to see Maggie Grace embracing her inner super-spy and working with Neeson to stop the sex-traffickers…talk about a great father-daughter team.  If you wanted to judge the narrative of Taken 2 solely against the original, it is obvious that a great deal of the initial charm and surprise has worn thin, but there is still a natural progression to the story that does help deepen our connection to the characters, even if it wasn’t altogether necessary.  Now, with elements like these, Taken 2 is undeniably enjoyable, but there are several other factors that keep overall quality from reaching the heights of its glorified predecessor.     

While I may have just praised the overall narrative of Taken 2, upon closer inspection, many of the finer points and subplots are considerably weak, which, when added to the overall direction, does help explain why certain critics reacted with such hostility.  Like I hinted at earlier, it is enough of a stretch to believe that Brian Mills would allow his daughter anywhere near Istanbul, but even if you are able to get past all that, many of the subplots feel like filler.  In the original, after some brief exposition and character introduction, overall action levels went into overdrive, so with that kind of reputation, expecting audiences to sit through a scene where Kim attempts to get her driver’s license just comes across as a thoroughly infuriating delay until Liam Neeson kills something.  And, my regular readers know my opinion regarding hand-held cameras being used to film fight scenes, so imagine my reaction as the screen got shaky when Mills finally started fighting…way to detract from the one thing that a majority of audiences had been waiting for since the credits rolled back in 2008.  In the end, you should be able to enjoy Taken 2, but be warned, you are going to need to dramatically adjust your expectations before heading to the theater.

Well, critics may have responded negatively to Taken 2, but audiences clearly ignored the pre-release reception, responding in droves and granting Liam Neeson’s newest opening the highest October opening for a PG-13 film with just under $50 million.  And momentum certainly carried into the second weekend, with the sequel earning $22.5 million; more than enough to outperform new releases like Argo, Sinister, Here Comes the Boom, and Seven Psychopaths.  And, with a beefy international presence, Taken 2 has already gone north of $200 million against a $45 million budget, all but guaranteeing a sequel if Neeson decides to return.  Now, it was a stretch revisiting the kidnapping storyline this time around, so I can’t imagine what a third entry in the series would involve, but with those kind of numbers, I doubt anyone at 20^th Century Fox cares…hey, maybe the time is ripe for “Taken 3: Stay Home Already.”  If you count yourself among the numerous fans of the original Taken, it definitely wouldn’t hurt to see this sequel, but it isn’t something that necessitates an immediate trip to the theater.   

Overall Recommendation: Medium