Seven Psychopaths

I walked into this movie expecting a wild action heavy violence driven movie with lots of quips and one liners. I left this movie having seen a dialogue heavy story that was driven augmented by action and violence. The basic plot is Marty (Colin Ferrell) is a screen writer who's latest idea is Seven Psychopaths. The only problem is, he cannot think up psychopaths to his liking, and his creative process id stymied. But with his best buddy Billy (Sam Rockwell) and Hans (Christopher Walken) he finds all the psychopaths he needs.

There is most definitely plenty of violence and action in this movie. Blown up heads, cut throats, bullet wounds, but being a bunch of psychos it is done without dumbing down or taking away from all of the stories this movie has to tell. When the action shows up it is plenty over the top so as to make up the time it had missed. It was really bloody and fun.

But the real vehicle here is the story, or more accurately the stories. The main plot is as listed above, but there are many little subplots and mysteries that come about that really make this tangled web an interesting one. Those subplots are usually used to reveal or affirm another Psychopath, and to give important back story to the characters you will enjoy. The goals are traditional for some and not for others. How they get there matches their destination. I would love to tell you may favorites, but that would be spoiling it for you.

Ferrel's character goes along for the ride of his life compiling a list of lunatics to add to his screen play. His flaws are outweighed by his friends and desire to make a good character. He is the lead in an off center kind of way Kind of like Capt. Jack in Pirates 4. Sam Rockwell (who is awesome in general) is Ferrel's bestie. He is dedicated to the betterment of his pal, and dedicated to his pals just in general. He is as crazy as a bag of cats in the best way possible. Christopher Walken (another one of my personal favorites) is Hans. He and Billy are... business partners. Hans brings a wonderful perspective, attitude, and humor to the group. His unique experiences make him a valuable member to our hero trio. Woody Harrelson is our villain. Though, with all the insane acts in this movie, the villain can be a point of view. He is hilarious and menacing all at the same time. He does not get the back story that most of the other characters get, but it is understood that he is bad and not to be messed with . The entire cast feels finely tuned so that no line is wasted.

On a personal not (as if this entire thing is not a personal note) the film deals in may ways with Marty's creative process. He is a writer who is stuck, and through the most extreme circumstances finds his juices and gets them flowing. Here at the start of film school i have been reading heavily on that very subject. In lost of ways I saw the principles of the books i have been reading personified, so in that way I enjoyed it even more.

All in all I didn't get what I had expected, but I really liked what I got. I enjoyed what I saw, and what I heard. The stories help you invest in the characters, and the action give you the kick it needs. And everyone is soo funny. Now some who don't like this Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction)  style won't like this, but I did. Very much so.
Hans: An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.
Billy: No, it doesn't. There'll be one guy left with one eye. How's the last blind guy gonna take out the eye of the last guy left?
MAN, I LOVE SAM ROCKWELL & CHIRSTOPHER WALKEN!


And just for fun

Here Comes The Boom

Well I fell off the face of the Earth there for a while, but I'm back in action. This time getting a preview of Kevin James' new flick. And I was pleasantly surprised. The basic idea is a less than enthusiastic school teacher must resort to extreme measures to save the music program at his school.

The story is simple and predictable, but the action is still fun and entertaining. There are no terrible twists and jabs that throw you off track. There are a couple of side quests our hero takes on that were not crucial to the story, but they did add to character appeal. He is flawed, and must overcomes those flaws to triumph. Everything plays exactly how you want it to (or at least how I wanted it to) which is OK, this time. There are plenty of jokes to really suite all ages. From gross to just plain funny. There was a young girl (who was a excellent movie goer btw) who laughed at everything she was supposed to. From her and my reactions I can surmise that this movie does have general mass appeal.

The characters for me were what made this story worth it. I really liked James character. He was charming, cool  (in an awkward way), and genuine. Made his journey to success one that you want to succeed.  Heeeeyyy! I don't know if I am just lame, but I really like Henry Winkler. He just seems like the nicest guy on the planet. He is just a kind simple teacher who loves the arts. I loved him. James trainer Niko is played by Bas Rutten. I often have problems with athletes being "actors". Not this time. He really put some effort into his show, making another truly likable character. There are many terrible things in the world. from the state of the economy, to trouble in the middle east, to bacon shortages. The one constant is that Salma Hayeck is still hot. Yes, I know. You are thinking, "Still?!" Yes, still. And still acting wonderfuly to boot. Greg Germann, Joe Rogan, and Mark Dellagrotte round out the cast notables. Well, except Mookie Barker who was the creepy assistant principle. Actually now that I type this it makes sense. He did well, also.

Something else that I enjoyed from this flick was the action. There were often parts where James would have a strain, and I would catch myself tensing up with him in hopes of adding my strength to his own in somehow lol. There were also some cameras shots that were intended to be inside the grapple of the fighters. It was pretty neat. There weren't too many so that it got old, but enough to make it and interesting sensation. By its very nature Mixed Martial Arts is intense and this did an excellent job conveying that intensity in the fights while keeping them fun to watch.

There was also a very small spiritual aspect to the film where Dellagrotte quoted the Bible and they prayed before a fight. As a Christian I appreciated the sentiment. And it was not preachy so as to exclude anyone, just very natural feeling and nice.

All together this film has some small issues, but nothing to write it off for. It is a family friendly film (except perhaps the fights, which aren't too bad) that anyone who goofy enough will laugh at. As a film student I appreciate that it does try and convey how important the arts are, but doesn't show any direct examples. "A" for effort in that area. If you like a decent but obvious comedy go for it. In my opinion much better than Paul Blart and Zookeeper... if that is saying anything.