seven-psychopaths

Miles McCormack,

Correspondent (Film)

 

Seven Psychopaths, the most recent film from Martin McDonagh, hit cinemas recently to universal acclaim; sitting at an impressive 81% approval rating on aggregate site ‘Rotten Tomatoes’. The film follows the adventures of a group of friends involved in a dog kidnapping business, a business which finds itself in preposterously huge trouble after dognapping the local mob boss’ Shit-Tzu. Good luck trying to find a weirder plot outline than that this Christmas.

Indeed, after only a handful of movies, bizarre plot outlines have become almost a hallmark of McDonagh’s work. Fans of the director, no doubt mostly from the instant classic of a 2008 film, In Bruges, will no doubt appreciate the return of Colin Farrell, particularly after the actor gave his best performance in years as a troubled Hitman sent on vacation to Bruges. Here, Farrell plays a troubled screenwriter, with this clever character contrivance allowing both director and star to cast a probing light on the Hollywood machine, reaching through the 4th wall in subtle and intriguing ways.

The 4th wall, of course, for those that missed that media studies class, is effectively the silver screen in itself; it is the notion that a movie set is comprised of only 3 walls, with the screen making the final wall and completing the illusion of reality. As a concept, the 4th wall effectively describes the divide between audience and the fictional universe of the movie, and breaking this wall is often considered taboo, as it can shatter any illusion of reality that so many movies try so hard to cultivate.

In Seven Psychopaths, however, the constant acknowledgement of the movies own form and structure cleverly breaks the 4th wall, without breaking suspension of disbelief or the movie itself. The character’s acknowledgements of what should happen in movies, juxtaposed with what the randomness of the movie’s form and plot, is used to comment on the predictability of the blockbuster and of convention.

This isn’t to say that there isn’t anything on show for the average cinema-goer. The gleeful destruction of cinematic conventions are able to take a backseat to the uniquely absurd intensity that is Seven Psychopaths, something anyone can appreciate. Sam Rockwell gives another career defining role, with Walken providing a finely tuned performance that is quite out of type for an actor known for his menace. Again, these performances are played off of cinematic preconceptions, but for those who just want to enjoy the ride without the brains, there is certainly plenty on show.