A-

Seven Psychopaths is very fun despite being very bizarre - or quite possibly because of being very bizarre. Between the basic premise given in the trailer - dognappers incur the wrath of a psychopathic dog owner - and the meta nature of the screenplay, it's so far removed from the mainstream that it's hard to believe it's playing in wide release. The quickest way to describe the feel of the film is that it's Adaptation. meets Quentin Tarantino. We have random (but entertaining) discussions, sudden outbursts of violence, witty recognition of many of the tropes that are employed, and a flustered screenwriter who has to figure out how to put it all together. While not quite all of it works, most of it does, and it makes for a few scenes of gut-bursting hilarity (the third act shootout Sam Rockwell's character writes and presents is arguably worth the price of admission on its own). It's ultimately not as memorable or as insanely quotable as In Bruges, but Martin McDonagh has delivered a pretty solid follow-up that is enjoyable and clever enough that it deserves a closer look than it has been getting thus far.

B+

A lot of fun. I enjoyed the whole cast here and despite a bit of a drag in the second act, this goes by pretty quickly. I would probably put it at the same level as In Bruges when comparing the two.