Seven Psychopaths : can't handle its own crazy

Seven Psychopaths :can't handle its own crazy,black comedy almost too shrewd for its own good   

Martin McDonagh's In Bruges was one of the unexpected delights of 2008. It's a film that's endlessly watchable and as a result it makes the filmmaker's follow-up, Seven Psychopaths, a much anticipated project. Taking into account McDonagh brought back his In Bruges star Colin Farrell and aligned him opposite the likes of Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson and Tom Waits makes it all sound too good to be true. Unfortunately, it is, at least for those of us hoping lightning would strike twice.

The writer-director, Irish playwright Martin McDonagh ("In Bruges"), is a master of nasty laughs, and he keeps them coming … and coming. There’s barely time to catch your breath. If movies could pick their own flaws, though, this would be the one to go for.

Colin Farrell is Marty, a blocked writer who’s stuck on his latest screenplay. He has a title—"Seven Psychopaths"—but the rest won’t come. Marty’s just a regular guy; what does he know about lunatics? His best friend, Billy (Sam Rockwell), would like to help, but, being completely nuts, he’s a dubious source of counsel. Billy kidnaps dogs for a living, lifting them from a local park and turning them over to his partner, a coot named Hans (Christopher Walken), to return to their heartbroken owners for cash rewards (which Hans accepts with a carefully calibrated reluctance).

Intentional or not, I was also struck by the sheer number of females of color in this cast.  Yes, most of the female characters "can't string a sentence together," but considering how many genre films are lucky to have two females period, it's worth noting that we see quite a few women-of-color in this gangland story.  Of these, Linda Bright Clay shines brightest as Christopher Walken's cancer-stricken wife.  Speaking of which, Chris Walken delivers what is arguably his best performance sinceCatch Me If You Can (not that I don't love his turns in The Rundown, Hairspray, or the criminally underrated Balls of Fury) and what I would argue is one of his finest performances, period.  In a film full of bloodthirsty well, psychopaths, Walken is refreshingly cast as one of the least outwardly crazy characters in the film and the closest thing the film has to a heart-and-soul.  It's a perfect mix of Walken-doing-Walken shtick and a genuine dramatic performance, using his patented verbal gymnastics to mask a sad old man filled with regret but too wise to spend his final days wallowing in self-pity.  In a more high-profile film, Walken would be a lock for an Oscar nomination.

Farrell's character is far more tame than his In Bruges performance, but he still takes full advantage and the brief moments we spend with Tom Waits are well worth it.

However, all of these moments are individual pieces to a story where most everything else that surrounds them are simply "ho hum" and forgotten as soon as you see them. This isn't to say Harrelson doesn't have his moments and even Zeljko Ivanek has a couple of great lines, but all of these little standout moments don't add up to an overall winning narrative.

The story feels like its on life support and needs a jump start every five minutes or so. And with a film that runs 11 minutes shy of two hours, that's a lot of ups and downs.