KILLER COMEBACK Gail Tolley speaks to director and writer Martin McDonagh about his follow up to In Bruges, the equally sweary and entertaining Seven Psychopaths
Interview | FILM
W hile i lm fans might be wondering where Martin hile i lm McDona McDonagh has been in recent years, theatre ai cionad ai cionados won’t be. A successful playwright before he embark before he embarked on i lmmaking (he has won two Laurence Olivier aw Laurence Olivier awards and been nominated for four Tony awards), McDonag awards), McDonagh returned to the stage after the success of his Oscar-winning his Oscar-winning black comedy In Bruges with Broadway play A Behanding play A Behanding in Spokane starring Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell and Sam Rockwell. McDonagh has te McDonagh has teamed up with those two actors again for his return to the big his return to the big screen. Seven Psychopaths is the tale of Marty (Colin Farre Marty (Colin Farrell), an Irish screenwriter in LA trying to i nd inspiration for i nd inspiration for his next script. He’s decided on a title – Seven Psychopaths Seven Psychopaths – but not much else. That is until his path crosses with some crosses with some real psychopaths, thanks to his slightly unhinged dognapp unhinged dognapping friend Billy (Sam Rockwell). What follows is a riotous follows is a riotously funny, if occasionally silly caper i lled with Tarantino-esqu with Tarantino-esque bloody violence.
It’s tempting to It’s tempting to think that a i lm dealing with such themes was inspire themes was inspired by the director’s own experiences. But McDonagh stresse McDonagh stresses that the script was written several years ago, before we had ago, before we had even caught a whiff of In Bruges.
‘There’s nowhere you can’t go for me’
‘It’s not based on any of my reality,’ McDonagh says, ‘It’s not base chatting durin chatting during the London Film Festival, where the i lm received i lm received its UK premiere. ‘I’ve never really had to go there [ to go there [Hollywood]. Even in the casting of this, I knew the ac knew the actors from other places.’ Alongside Farrell, Rockwell and Walken there Alongside are also to are also top cameos by Woody Harrelson, Abbie Cornish, H Cornish, Harry Dean Stanton and Tom Waits, the latter as a r latter as a rabbit-loving serial killer. “I knew th “I knew that he [Tom Waits] had gone to see one of my plays in my plays in New York and I got a note from him and his wife say his wife saying they liked it. Even that was fantastic. One day I g One day I got an email and it was from Tom saying, “Do you w “Do you want to work on a musical?” I spent two days thinki days thinking, “Is that true?” We stayed in touch and when th and when the casting of this came up I thought he’d be ideal for be ideal for it. I emailed him and he got back to me without even without even reading the script saying, “I get to carry a rabbit? I’m a rabbit? I’m in”.’ Both In Brug Both In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths show a wicked sense of humo sense of humour that tread a line close to controversy. Does McDonag Does McDonagh ever stop himself going to certain places? Is any su places? Is any subject matter ever off limits? ‘There’s nowher ‘There’s nowhere you can’t go for me. I never write to offend anyone or offend anyone or be mean. I’m pretty politically correct myself [but] I like myself [but] I like the idea of your characters never having to be. It’s quite fre to be. It’s quite freeing as a writer to express opinions that aren’t your own.’ aren’t your own.’
Seven Psychopat Seven Psychopaths in on general release from Wed 5 Dec. See review p Dec. See review page 63. 15 Nov–13 Dec 2012 THE LIST 61