Discription
Seven Psychopaths (2012)
Summary
Seven Psychopaths is a satirical black comedy crime film that weaves a meta-narrative about the act of screenwriting, the nature of violence, and Hollywood tropes. The film centers on Marty Faranan (Colin Farrell), an alcoholic Irish screenwriter suffering from writer's block while trying to finish his script titled "Seven Psychopaths." His best friend, Billy Bickle (Sam Rockwell), and Billy's religious partner, Hans Kieslowski (Christopher Walken), run a dognapping scam. The plot spirals out of control when they accidentally steal a beloved Shih Tzu named Bonny from Charlie Costello (Woody Harrelson), an unhinged and ruthless gangster, forcing the writer and his eccentric friends into a real-life confrontation with deadly consequences.
Plot
Marty, an aspiring writer, is struggling to find the inspiration and the titular characters for his screenplay, Seven Psychopaths. His friend Billy, a struggling actor, tries to help by covertly placing an advertisement inviting actual psychopaths to call Marty and share their stories. Billy also makes a living by kidnapping dogs and having Hans, his partner, return them to collect the reward money.
The chaos begins when Billy and Hans steal Bonny, the beloved Shih Tzu of gangster Charlie Costello. Charlie is a violent psychopath who will stop at nothing to get his dog back. Meanwhile, the advertisement draws a psychopath named Zachariah Rigby (Tom Waits), who shares the story of being one half of a serial killer duo who only killed other serial killers (one of the film's "psychopaths"). The film features several flashbacks and embedded stories of other psychopaths, including "The Quaker," an avenging father, and a Vietnamese priest bent on revenge.
As Charlie and his men hunt them down, Billy's actions become increasingly erratic. He is revealed to be The Jack of Diamonds Killer, a vigilante psychopath who had been inspiring Marty and orchestrating events to push Marty toward a "dramatic" finale for his script. After Charlie's men murder Hans's cancer-stricken wife, Myra, Billy retaliates by shooting Charlie's girlfriend, Angela.
Marty, Billy, and Hans, along with Bonny, flee to the Mojave Desert. Marty, disillusioned with the cycle of violence, wants to find a non-violent, philosophical ending for his screenplay, while Billy insists on a final, bloody shootout cliché. Hans also reveals he is the real-life "Quaker" from the story Billy had told Marty.
Billy, determined to force his dramatic ending, calls Charlie to their desert location. In the ensuing climax, Hans is shot and killed by Charlie's men. Billy and Charlie have a final confrontation where Charlie fatally shoots Billy, but Marty then kills Charlie using Hans's old gun, finally ending the bloodshed.
Marty survives, collects Hans's body and a cassette recording where Hans suggests a new, hopeful ending for the Vietnamese priest's story—that his violent acts were merely the dying dream of a self-immolating monk. Marty, emotionally scarred, leaves the chaos behind to finish his screenplay, now inspired to write a story about love, peace, and understanding in the face of human cruelty.
Cast1
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Colin Farrell as Marty Faranan2
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Sam Rockwell as Billy Bickle3
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Christopher Walken as Hans Kieslowski4
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Woody Harrelson as Charlie Costello5
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Tom Waits as Zachariah Rigby6
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Abbie Cornish as Kaya7
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Olga Kurylenko as Angela8
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Gabourey Sidibe as Sharice9
Crew
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Writer and Director: Martin McDonagh
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Producers: Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, and Martin McDonagh
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Music by: Carter Burwell
Release Date
October 12, 2012 (United States)
September 7, 2012 (Toronto International Film Festival - World Premiere)
