Seven Psychopaths (2012)
Directed by Martin McDonagh
This is pure fun, a twisted crime comedy with an all-star cast firing on all cylinders. Colin Farrell plays a struggling screenwriter named Marty trying to finish his script "Seven Psychopaths" while his friends Billy (Sam Rockwell) and Hans (Christopher Walken) run a dog-kidnapping scheme that goes sideways when they steal a gangster's (Woody Harrelson) beloved Shih Tzu. The plot is twisted in more ways than one, folding back on itself as the real-life chaos becomes material for Marty's screenplay.
The meta angle works here. McDonagh plays with the conventions of violent crime films while making one, commenting on the genre while delivering exactly what the genre promises: sharp dialogue, gleeful violence, eccentric characters. It's Tarantino viewed through the British dry humor lens, all the blood and wit but with that sardonic distance that keeps it from taking itself too seriously.
The cast is phenomenal. Rockwell is manic energy, Walken brings his particular brand of calm menace and unexpected tenderness, Harrelson is perfectly unhinged, and Tom Waits shows up because of course he does. Farrell grounds the chaos, playing the one sane person trying to make sense of the madness while realizing he's complicit in creating it.
This is a film that knows exactly what it is and enjoys every minute of it.
my rating 7/10
Ah yes, because each idea/concept is limited to only one movie, every other attempt is pure trash, regardless of how they decide to use said idea/concept /s Also, why did you comment if you didn't even bother to finish the movie?
I didn't finish it because I didn't like it. I disagree with the OP that "the meta angle works here". It didn't work for me. What? I can't express different opinion under a review? Is there a rule against it?
I'm not even going to respond to your silly "/s" comment. If you didn't understand what I said the first time, you're not going to understand any explanation either.
I think it's pretty disingenuous to leave a review for a movie you didn't even finish, yes. I know this isn't supposed to be like a place for professional reviews from paid critics or anything, but still. Feels like you could've constructed an actual argument to reinforce your point if you'd actually seen the whole thing, I'm just saying. You're allowed to have opinions, but if they're uninformed, then I'm just going to assume you already had your mind made up before you even hit Play
Also, regarding your edit, I'd ask what you didn't like about In Bruges but I honestly don't think you even finished it (see above)
I disagree. If you don't enjoy something, you aren't obligated to force yourself to finish it and then give your oppinion about it. If somethings sucks for you, you can say that it sucks for you.
I didn't write a review. I commented on review from someone else. This community is not that active. We don't need gatekeeping here. I think there's place for casual comments about movies.
I did finish In Bruges. What I didn't like about it harder to explain. There's this type of movies that try to be intellectual but just don't hit the mark. I think it's really difficult for a writer and director to say something deep without sounding silly. Movies like In Bruges have it especially hard because it's fairly small production. There's nothing to distract from the message, it's just the director talking to the audience. Some directors are good at this, for example Lanthimos who also likes to work with Farrell is great at this. Or Mateo Gil. Realive is trying to make some deep points about life and death and... it does. It works. For me, McDonagh can't do it. He lacks subtlety. Everything he's trying to say he says in an obvious way, he want's to make sure everyone gets it. It ruins the vibe, it takes away the discovery, the fun of figuring out what's the message. In Seven Psychopaths it's the meta angle. They say what they will do and then they do this exact thing. In In Bruges it's everything. The guy says he would kill himself if he shot a child and then he kills himself when he thinks he shot a child. Ok, Martin, thanks for explaining this.
Just for the record, I'm not offended by what you think. A world where everyone thought alike would not be a place I want to live. I recently watched 2 films all the way through to the end and they both sucked (IMO). I want my 4 hours back. There have been others I did turn off. Sometimes it's just a mood thing and sometimes its not. So yeah... it's all good. -OP
Yeah, I'm not criticizing anyone's taste in movies here so I didn't think there's anything to get offended about. Seven Psychopaths is a still good attempt at making original movie. There's nothing technically wrong with it. That's why I think it's interesting that it didn't resonate with me at all. With this type of movies director's style is very important and sometimes it just doesn't work for you.