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Seven Psychopaths – McDonagh’s comedic film

March 12, 2023 By Karl Leave a Comment

This website  covers an important term used by most of us at one time or other: psychopath. Unlike other blogs of mine here and here, this post delves into a comedic take on the term and subject of psychopathy.

So, here without further ado or comment is a recent movie review by Brian Accardo. 

Seven Psychopaths: Revisiting Martin McDonagh’s Overlooked Gem.”

“When it was released in 2012, Seven Psychopaths came and went. Here’s why it should be considered one of Martin McDonagh’s best movies.

Seven Psychopaths
CBS Films

After a six-year hiatus from film, Martin McDonagh has returned with the humorous and quietly devastating The Banshees of Inisherin. The English director’s tar-black comedic streak has helped him carve out a unique niche for himself, crafting uproarious films around problematic characters and grim situations. His sensibilities are bracing and in-your-face, but his films pack a wallop, which is why each new release from him is a heavily-hyped event.

But one film in his repertoire seems unfairly overlooked: Seven Psychopaths. Released between his fire-cracker debut In Bruges and the Oscar-winning Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, McDonagh’s sophomore feature feels like his attempt at something a little more playful and a little more “Hollywood” than his usual fare. The result is genre-jumping crime caper rife with quotable, crackling dialogue and a stacked cast of memorable characters. Here’s why Seven Psychopaths deserves your attention.

Breaking the Story of  “Seven Psychopaths”

Colin Farrell in Seven Psychopaths
CBS Films

Colin Farrell stars as Marty, an alcoholic screenwriter battling an intense bout of writer’s block while working on his newest feature, called Seven Psychopaths. He has the catchy title, but hasn’t cracked the story yet, which he ultimately wants to be about “love and peace” but is unsure how to do it.

After an alcohol-induced outburst gets him kicked out of his home, Marty is forced to stay with his crass best friend Billy (Sam Rockwell), a struggling actor who makes his living by kidnapping dogs from affluent families and collecting the reward money upon return. He operates this two-bit criminal enterprise with Hans (Christopher Walken), a soft-spoken but “old-testament” religious man who partakes in Billy’s schemes to pay for his wife’s cancer treatment.

But trouble soon finds the three of them when Billy kidnaps Bonny, a dog belonging to Charlie Costello (Woody Harrelson), a brutal local crime boss that will kill anything and anyone for the safe return of his cherished Shih-tzu. With the walls closing in on them, Marty, Billy, and Hans go on the run, which allows Marty the opportunity to write his story with the help of his two friends and the psychopaths they meet along the way.

The Seven Psychopaths

Tom Waits in Seven Psychopaths
CBS Films

Upon release, Seven Psychopaths garnered a lot of comparisons to films like Pulp Fiction and Adaptation – and for good reason. McDonagh’s film stands apart from other crime capers thanks to its unique structure, featuring a number of seemingly disparate short stories focused on the quote-unquote “psychopaths.”

There’s Charlie Costello, of course; Zachariah, a serial killer of serial killers; a vengeance-driven Quaker; the mysterious “Jack of Diamonds” that kills gangsters; and a former Viet Cong fighter who travels to the U.S. to enact revenge against those responsible for the My Lai massacre.

McDonagh also did a wonderful job casting the film. Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, and Christopher Walken (especially Christopher Walken) are hilarious, and the three of them share incredible on-screen chemistry.

Woody Harrelson is both funny and terrifying as the unstable Charlie, a role which was originally intended for Mickey Rourke, who dropped out over “creative differences” with McDonagh. (But no matter – Harrelson owns the role, and it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing it).

The movie is also brimming with fantastic character actors, with two of the aforementioned psychopaths played by Tom Waits and Harry Dean Stanton. Kevin Corrigan, Michael Pitt, Michael Stuhlbarg, Abbie Cornish, Gabourey Sidibe, and Olga Kurylenko round out the absolutely stacked cast.

And who could forget Bonny, the cute Shih-Tzu that inadvertently kicks off this bloody misadventure.

Marty v. Martin

Colin Farrell and Woody Harrelson in Seven Psychopaths
CBS Films

Seven Psychopaths is a curiously meta romp that only begins to show its true colors towards the end of the film (don’t worry, we’ll avoid spoilers here). But one doesn’t have to look far to recognize parallels between McDonagh and Marty, their shared names and Irish heritage being the most obvious nods.

Just like Spike Jonze’s Adaptation, Marty’s situation at the film’s opening mirrors McDonagh’s in a number of interesting ways. For starters, Seven Psychopaths is Marty’s second movie, and the source of his writer’s block may stem from the fear of not being able to recapture the spark that made his first movie so successful. Likewise, Seven Psychopaths was McDonagh’s follow-up to his first feature, In Bruges, which quickly became a critical and cult success that earned him his first Oscar nom for best original screenplay.

McDonagh expanded on the parallels between him and Marty in an interview with Steve Pond at The Wrap, stating that the movie started with the title and a couple short stories (which included the suicidal Quaker that appears in the film). But much like Marty, he wanted his movie to be “life-affirming” and imbued with peace and decency, despite the violent connotations of its title.

A Violent Movie with Buddhist Sensibilities

Christopher Walken in Seven Psychopaths
CBS Films

Seven Psychopaths also serves as a sly commentary on the violent nature of a lot of Hollywood action movies. Much of the violence in Seven Psychopaths is gruesome and excessive: throats are slit, heads explode, and people are set ablaze. There’s a tongue-and-cheek nature to most of it; McDonagh is clearly having a lot of fun.

But then he pulls the rug out from under you, and that bloody violence the viewer has been craving suddenly becomes wince-inducing and hard to stomach. It’s an effective commentary on what McDonagh considers the flippant and sometimes “crass” nature of violence in a lot of movies.

This is further emphasized by Sam Rockwell’s character Billy, who reflects the typical “hero” in a lot of these movies; a man who thinks violence is the answer to every problem in the world.

Through smart writing and Sam Rockwell’s pitch-perfect acting, McDonagh effectively shows the audience what these bloodthirsty action heroes would look like in the real world. (In short: psychotic).

An Overlooked Gem

Sam Rockwell in Seven Psychopaths
CBS Films

At the end of the day, all this meta mumbo-jumbo wouldn’t matter if the film wasn’t any good. And luckily, Seven Psychopaths is very, very good. But when it was released in 2012, the movie came and went without much fanfare.

Despite favorable reviews, the film opened at #9 at the box-office, and dropped to 15 by its third week. Because of its small budget, the film was a minor success, but for whatever reason, people weren’t compelled to see it in theaters.

But a few years later, McDonagh returned with Three Billboards, which was a rousing success and earned McDonagh his first Oscar nom for best picture.

Banshees of Inisherin continued this trend, earning another best picture and best original screenplay nom for McDonagh. (Incredibly, three of his four movies have been nominated for best original screenplay. The only one without a nom is – you guessed it – Seven Psychopaths).

This isn’t to say those movies don’t deserve the praise they’ve received – they most certainly do – but it feels unjust to leave Seven Psychopaths out of the discussion. It’s a fantastic movie and a wonderful deconstruction of the action-movie genre, told with biting humor by one of the best, most dependable writer-directors working today. If you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favor and check out Seven Psychopaths as soon as you can.”

And what do you think?

If you’ve seen the movie, did you like it?
Image result for is Seven Psychopaths a comedy
If not, do you think it’s possible to have a satirical black comedy crime drama film as some have called it?
Again, it’s directed, written, and co-produced by Martin McDonagh and stars Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, and Christopher Walken, with Tom Waits, Abbie Cornish, Olga Kurylenko, and Željko Ivanek in supporting roles.

Again, Baldwin and Armorer named in ‘Rust’ legal case.

February 12, 2023 By Karl Leave a Comment

Halyna Hutchins. New people named in 'Rust' legal case.  

I recently posted my skepticism about whether justice would be served in the settlement Alec Baldwin made with Halyna Hutchins husband and son. The deal, valid in its provision for support of her son, seemed odd since it also allow Baldwin and other … [Continue reading]

Visual-Snow Effects/Mental Illness-Defenses for Kohberger?

January 15, 2023 By Karl Leave a Comment

Kohberger and Victims

MENTAL HEALTH – DEFENSES FOR KOHBERGER? "The ringing in my ears and the fuzz in my vision is simply all of the demons in my head mocking me " – statement attributed to the Idaho multicide suspect, Bryan Kohberger.   Allegedly visual … [Continue reading]

Psychopaths in C-Suites Thrive

December 19, 2022 By Karl Leave a Comment

Psychopath in the C-Suite?

  Nine years ago, author and  psychologist Fred Kiel reported on his research about psychopaths in leadership positions at a Tedx Talk. Psychopaths in C-Suites Kiel  titled his talk, "Psychos in the C-Suite." The term  C-suite usually … [Continue reading]

Implicit Bias against People with Facial Differences?

November 11, 2022 By Karl Leave a Comment

Implicit Bias re race and face?

  Implicit bias is a phrase for the idea that we're all probably at least a little bit biased, even if we really don't want to be. It's a term that describes what's happening when, despite our best intentions and without our awareness, … [Continue reading]

Does the Baldwin and Hutchins ‘Rust’ deal warp justice?

October 7, 2022 By Karl Leave a Comment

Baldwin and Hutchins

I've  been busy traveling of late, and so must rush to get this post out amid acclimating to being back home and at my desk. Thus, my desk, my yard, and now the Baldwin and Hutchins deal require urgent attention.So, I'll simply curate this story … [Continue reading]

Narcissist versus sociopath – which is it?

August 24, 2022 By Karl Leave a Comment

Narcissist versus sociopath?

  I've posted a number of blogs about fraudsters Anna Sorokin and Alexander Marc Hatton as well as pieces about the Casanova Scammer and the Tinder Swindler. It's about time now to try to figure out they can be differentiated. So, … [Continue reading]

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Recent Posts

  • Seven Psychopaths – McDonagh’s comedic film
  • Again, Baldwin and Armorer named in ‘Rust’ legal case.
  • Visual-Snow Effects/Mental Illness-Defenses for Kohberger?
  • Psychopaths in C-Suites Thrive
  • Implicit Bias against People with Facial Differences?

"Heroes, Villains      and Fools"



Read the Blog

Seven Psychopaths – McDonagh’s comedic film

This website  covers an important term used by most of us at one time or other: psychopath. Unlike other blogs of mine here and here, this post delves into a comedic take on the term and subject of psychopathy. So, here without further ado or comment is a recent movie review by Brian … [Read More...]

Halyna Hutchins. New people named in 'Rust' legal case.  

Again, Baldwin and Armorer named in ‘Rust’ legal case.

I recently posted my skepticism about whether justice would be served in the settlement Alec Baldwin made with Halyna Hutchins husband and son. The deal, valid in its provision for support of her son, seemed odd since it also allow Baldwin and other financiers to resume shooting of 'Rust."Apparently … [Read More...]

Kohberger and Victims

Visual-Snow Effects/Mental Illness-Defenses for Kohberger?

MENTAL HEALTH – DEFENSES FOR KOHBERGER? "The ringing in my ears and the fuzz in my vision is simply all of the demons in my head mocking me " – statement attributed to the Idaho multicide suspect, Bryan Kohberger.   Allegedly visual snow plus tinnitus (ringing in the ears from an … [Read More...]

Psychopath in the C-Suite?

Psychopaths in C-Suites Thrive

  Nine years ago, author and  psychologist Fred Kiel reported on his research about psychopaths in leadership positions at a Tedx Talk. Psychopaths in C-Suites Kiel  titled his talk, "Psychos in the C-Suite." The term  C-suite usually refers to a company's top management positions, where … [Read More...]

Implicit Bias re race and face?

Implicit Bias against People with Facial Differences?

  Implicit bias is a phrase for the idea that we're all probably at least a little bit biased, even if we really don't want to be. It's a term that describes what's happening when, despite our best intentions and without our awareness, stereotypes and assumptions creep into our minds and … [Read More...]

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