Martin McDonagh has another cult hit on his hands. In a lot of ways, Seven Psychopaths is more similar to a mash-up of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Adaptation than In Bruges, which is probably my dream movie come true. McDonagh's strengths are writing witty dialogue and character development, which shines through his outlandish and twilight-zoney premise in this case. Everything the trailer tells you about the movie is basically a lie, setting it up to be a silly comedy. Those of us who love In Bruges know to expect much more.

Marty (Colin Farrell) is an Irish screenwriter who drinks too much and is experiencing a bad case of writer's block. His screenplay is called "Seven Psychopaths" but he…

Seven Psychopaths is nothing more than a sun-baked mess, and that's precisely why it continues to surprise, astonish, move, and bring moments of sidesplitting laughter. It is nothing less than a meta masterwork, piecing together fragments of character and emotional tangents until the conclusion releases a strange sense of catharsis. The side stories involving the titular psychopaths are overloaded with hazy lines of dialogue that hit hard, and Ben Davis' cinematography seeks the melancholy within every shadowy corner.

The emotional layers ("I like it, It's got layers...") rise because of the sublime dose of humor, all coming from a brilliant script delivered by a unspeakably great cast. Seeing Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, and Christopher Walken argue with each other is…

Seven Psychopaths is a case of difficult second movie syndrome for director, Martin McDonagh, and whilst it is probably destined for cult status, just as In Bruges was, it is a far less satisfying experience. This is a messy and self-reflexive story about a struggling Irish writer, Marty, and his difficulties with completing his latest script (also called Seven Psychopaths). Throw in the kidnapping of a mob boss’ dog and Marty’s unstable and psychopathic best friend and you’ve got a volatile mix of stories and characters.

It is a film wrapped up in its own self-awareness with its witty but indulgent meta-commentary and genre deconstruction overwhelming everything in its path. It’s a film consumed by its own ideas and writer…