Marty (Colin Farrell) is a scriptwriter in Hollywood with a drinking problem and a script he can't make work.
It's not even a script really; all he has is the title (Seven Psychopaths) and a couple of the psychopaths.
His buddy Billy (Sam Rockwell) is trying to help out, but his dognapping sideline with Has (Christopher Walken) - they steal dogs, wait for a reward to be posted, then cash in - has hit a snag: they kidnapped the dog belonging to mobster Charlie (Woody Harrelson), and he's hot on their tail.
Throw in a masked killer who only takes down mid- to high-ranking members of the mob, a mysterious old man who stalks the killer of his daughter, and a former Viet Cong who's come to America to seek revenge, and Marty might not have to look too far to get his seven psychopaths.
Writer / director Martin McDonagh (In Bruges) gets a bit meta-fictional here, weaving a variety of plotlines and "true" stories together in his comic tale of gangsters, serial killers and serial killer-serial killers.
It comes together well, but it feels a little flat, as if it's more interested in showing off its smarts than getting you to care about anyone involved.
The performances inject some human interest into proceedings, but it's not enough to keep this from feeling a little remote.
It's still impressive work and satisfying storytelling: it's just not much more than that.
4 out of 5
Seven Psychopaths Australian release: 8th November, 2012 Official Site:Seven Psychopaths Cast: Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, Tom Waits, Olga Kurylenko Director: Martin McDonagh
