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.
