Dir. Martin McDonagh
****
On paper, Seven Psychopaths, the follow up to playwright-turned-filmmaker Martin McDonagh's brilliant feature debut In Bruges seems overstuffed, being that it is essentially a tragi-comic-meta-meditation on the nature of movie violence and real violence. For me though, it was a bloody, subversive blast and arguably the funniest film I have seen thus far in 2012. Reuniting McDonagh with In Bruges lead Colin Farrell as Marty, an aloof, alcoholically driven screenwriter struggling to put words to the page for his latest script, convieniently called "Seven Psychopaths", the film finds buddies Farrell, loose cannon Billy (an unhinged Sam Rockwell) and stoic con-man Hans (Christopher Walken) as they traverse a metaphysical journey on the run from rabid gangster Charles Costello (a hilarious and equally unhinged Woody Harrelson) whose beloved Shih-Tzu Billy and Hans have kidnapped, while simultaneously searching for the right psychopaths for Marty's script.
McDonagh throws in lots of gunplay and his script overflows with witty, quotable quips, flashbacks and hugely likeable characters, despite their homicidal tendiences. But it's in the director's deconstruction of the abnormal but laudable ethics of his murderers that elevates the material from bloody, metaphysical satire into something more subversive. Each character, save for Farrell and the female characters in the film (whom, interestingly enough, are explicitly ackowledged to have been given the dramatic shaft) harbors a twisted backstory that exists to make sly commentary on the futility and deranged reality of violence itself.
A subplot that involves a wonderful turn by Tom Waits as a reformed serial killer-killer - or as he puts it, a "killer that kills people that go around the country killing people" - looking to see his wholly American tales of bloody vigilante justice turned into big screen fodder doesn't actually play into the main narrative arc, but is indicative of the tragic, but hilariously cruel ironies inherent in both In Bruges as well as this film. Here, McDonagh has a decidedly lighter touch, striving for something more palatable but perhaps less cohesive. Regardless, Seven Psychopaths is hugely layered, smart and satisfying entertainment.
The Place Beyond The Pines
Dir. Derek Cianfrance
***1/2
Derek Cianfrance's latest is a taut, finely measured multi-generation crime saga that crackles with dramatic tension, uniformly excellent performances and a confident visual style to boot. His second film starring Ryan Gosling following Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond The Pines is a story about the fires of passion and violence passed down from fathers to sons and the moral ambiguities that haunt those who rely on the mantra of justice and "doing the right thing." To give away too much about the plot would be to ruin the shock and awe of some of the film's dramatic twists, but here Gosling plays Luke, a talented motorcycle stunt driver who opts to rob banks, desperately trying to provide for a bastard son conceived with Romina (Eva Mendes) in Schenectady, New York. Luke eventually comes crashing head-on with a Schenectady cop by the name of Avery Cross, played by Bradley Cooper. Their lives of both men, as well as the histories of their respective families feel the ripples of their confrontation for decades to come.
Ryan Gosling delivers another iconic performance here, creating a character that pulses with life, love and a dangerous passion that sometimes manifests itself in extreme violence. It's as if his character from last year's Drive was given tattoos, a ripped Metallica t-shirt, hormone injections, set loose in upstate New York and given an actual soul. Cooper too is at his very best, playing a man whose belief in justice strattles the line between idealistic and pragmatic but is forever shattered and ultimately blinded by regret. Also, a supporting turn by the chameleonic Ben Mendelsohn as Luke's accomplice is simply exceptional, cementing his place as one of the most talented rising stars in Hollywood.
This is a film that has already begun dividing critics, but mostly enthralled audiences and prospective buyers at its TIFF world premiere (as it is the most high profile film to enter this year's festival without a distributor). If you read what has been written about the film so far, reaction has swung from utter dismay at the film's treatment of its blue collar characters, accusations of pretention and over-reaching ambition, to staunch praise for its moving performances and willingness to explore the genetics of sin, regret and justice. And while some of the negative criticism is warranted, even the harshest of critics will succumb to the fact that this is a fully realized and emotionally powerful film, as undoubtedly unorthodox as it is in narrative, setting and character. For those that it does connect with, The Place Beyond The Pines will have seared a lasting burn on their hearts, as well as their minds.
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