One of the high points of Colin Farrell’s career so far has been his work in Martin McDonagh’s dark comedy “In Bruges,” so re-teaming with the playwright-turned-writer-director for the upcoming “Seven Psychopaths” seemed like a smart idea. The film’s brand new trailer seems to confirm that suspicion.
This time around, it’s more of an ensemble piece, with Farrell (pleasantly making no efforts to hide his Irish brogue) being joined by such luminaries of eccentric cinema as Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell and Tom Waits.
Farrell, Walken and Rockwell play three lowly con men-dog thieves who inadvertently steal a cuddly shih tzu that belongs to a volatile crime kingpin (Woody Harrelson). Unsurprisingly, all Hell breaks loose, including shootings, tearful gangsters, femme fatales, Tom Waits cradling a bunny and the requisite philosophical digressions.
While the starring cast may sound like a testosterone fest, “Psychopaths” also features Olga Kurylenko, Abbie Cornish and Gabourey Sidibe.
Just as the initial trailer for “In Bruges” failed to capture the film’s striking originality and the somewhat surprising heart at its center, the “Psychopaths” trailer likewise seems to emphasize the looniness of the plot in favor of character development (it does, after all, run almost three minutes).
The film is scheduled to unspool at the Toronto Film Festival in September.
“Seven Psychopaths” opens in the U.S. on October 12.