Film | Seven Psychopaths

2/5 stars

After the success of In Bruges, the new picture from Irish writer-director Martin McDonagh comes highly anticipated. It is unfortunate then that the film thoroughly disappoints with a story all over the place and the highlights readily available in the trailer.

The potential of the star-studded cast (Colin Farrell, Woody Harrelson and Christopher Walken) and great director was limitless, but the film ended up a mess with a mindless story and underdeveloped characters. From the start it seems McDonagh was unsure where to go, ending up with an incoherent chaos. Absent is the wit and intelligence we once saw in In Bruges. Sure, it may be original and quirky, and there will be people out there who will like it, but uniqueness alone cannot carry a film.

The actor’s talents are wasted on dull and unlikeable characters. The only noteworthy performance comes from the dog! At points the ensemble work well together, providing some comedic moments, but they are not enough to compensate for the lacking plot.

Although it isn’t painfully unfunny due to these moments, for the most part it was just irritating due to the awful story and characters. Furthermore,

Although the comedy is the film’s saving grace, for the most part it was jut irritating. The violence is cartoonish and gratuitous, which will put off many.

Seven Psychopaths is a disappointing, chaotic mess, devoid of any coherence or character development. It is a shame that little else carries the film’s few funny moments; what seemed to be a winning combination instead fell flat.

Emily Murray

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