Movie · 2012 · Comedy, Crime · 1h 50m · R · English
Curator score: 5.8/10 (538.1K ratings)
They won't take any shih tzu.
Overview
A struggling screenwriter inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends kidnap a gangster's beloved Shih Tzu.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.8/10
IMDb: 7.1/10
Letterboxd: 3.68/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
Metacritic: 66
TMDB: 6.8/10
Director
Martin McDonagh
Production
BFI, Blueprint Pictures, Film4 Productions, HanWay Films, CBS Films
Cast
Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Christopher Walken, Olga Kurylenko, Tom Waits, Abbie Cornish, Michael Stuhlbarg, Kevin Corrigan, Željko Ivanek, Michael Pitt, Linda Bright Clay, Joseph Lyle Taylor, Gabourey Sidibe, Amanda Warren, Helena Mattsson, Harry Dean Stanton, James Landry Hébert, Christopher Gehrman, Christian Barillas
Where to watch
fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, self-aware crime comedy with violent detours, melancholy undercurrents, and a very game cast. It’s messy on purpose, but the meta-writing, dark humor, and oddball energy make it a rewarding watch for viewers who like their gangster stories to be both funny and self-sabotaging.
Best for
fans of dark crime comedies
viewers who enjoy meta screenwriting stories
people who like violent films with absurd humor
audiences drawn to ensemble-driven character chaos
Skip if
you want a straightforward thriller
you dislike meta jokes and story-within-story structure
you prefer clean tonal consistency
you are put off by graphic violence and cynical humor
Overview
Seven Psychopaths is a shaggy, self-aware crime comedy that keeps turning its own genre inside out. Martin McDonagh treats Los Angeles gangland antics like a playground for failed artists, lonely weirdos, and violent fantasists, and the result is as funny as it is unstable. The movie is constantly talking about stories, but it never forgets to be a story itself.
Worth noting
What makes it work is the balance between invention and feeling. The film can be gleefully ridiculous one minute and unexpectedly mournful the next, with a strong sense that everyone is making up a version of themselves to survive. Sam Rockwell is especially electric, and Colin Farrell gives the chaos a bruised, human center.
Bottom line
It’s not a tidy movie, and that’s part of the appeal. Some viewers will bounce off its jagged structure and aggressive tonal shifts, but if you like crime films that feel unruly, literate, and a little bit deranged, it lands hard.
Top Letterboxd reviews
lauren (5★) · 3573 likes
my favorite part was how colin farrell was hot the whole time and didn't turn into johnny depp at the end
Ethan (4.5★) · 2875 likes
Put your hands up!
No
What?
I said no
Why not?
I don’t want to
But I’ve got a gun!
I don’t care
But that doesn’t make any sense!
Too bad
cinéfila... 🕯️ (3.5★) · 2177 likes
wow... sam rockwell was really in love with colin farrell the whole time
maria (4★) · 2108 likes
i relate to woody harrelson in seven psychopaths and keanu reeves in john wick because i, too, would go on a killing rampage for a dog
shaneya (4★) · 1518 likes
the shootout scene with the gunshot sounds voiced over by sam rockwell is peak cinema
2002 · Comedy, Crime, Drama · 1h 55m · R · Curator 8.9/10 (515.2K ratings)
A great fit for the screenplay-about-screenwriting angle and its playful collapse between life and fiction.
Topics
dark comedy, crime caper, meta narrative, black humor, ensemble cast, violent farce, Hollywood satire, writer protagonist, absurdist tone, moral ambiguity