Not many directors have an Oscar before their first feature is released, but playwright-turned-filmmaker Martin McDonagh managed the trick by picking up the Best Short prize for his film "Six Shooter." And fortunately, his feature follow-up, "In Bruges," was no disappointment; a soulful, foul-mouthed comedy that helped to revitalize Colin Farrell's career, it proved something of a sleeper hit a few years back, picking up some great reviews.
Now, McDonagh is back; his latest, "Seven Psychopaths," reunites the writer-director with Farrell, as well as Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken, the stars of his Broadway play "A Behanding In Spokane." The film premieres at TIFF next month, but CBS Films have just bowed the first trailer, and it looks like the kind of jet-black bloody comedy that McDonagh's made his name on.
Involving a screenwriter (Farrell) whose best friends (Rockwell and Walken) kidnap the dog of a psychopathic gangster (Woody Harrelson), the remaining psychopaths include Olga Kurylenko as Rockwell's girlfriend (billed, in a post-modern way, as a Bond girl), Abbie Cornish as Farrell's, and Tom Waits as a mysterious figure holding a bunny rabbit, while Kevin Corrigan, Gabourey Sidibe and Zeljko Ivanek also seem to play prominent roles. While it remains to be seen if "Seven Psychopaths" has the same heart as "In Bruges," it looks like it could be frantic fun (with a flamethrower, no less), and we're looking forward to it a good deal. Watch the trailer below. After its TIFF premiere, "Seven Psychopaths" will hit theaters on October 12th. [The Film Stage]
