Though a lot of people were flummoxed, perplexed, and often bored by Martin McDonagh’s SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS, I found it to be a a worthy if not quite as terrific follow-up to IN BRUGES that made excellent use of its grade-A cast. So it’s cool to see two of that film’s actors reuniting with McDonagh for his next film as a writer/director
Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell, who played two of the titular PSYCHOPATHS, will join Frances McDormand in McDonagh’s THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI (we’ll see how long it retains that title).
In this spin on the DEATH WISH/TAKEN revenge genre, McDormand will play the mother of a murdered young lady whose death goes uninvestigated by the cops. Angered by the oversight, she “then goes to war with the police” on a hunt for justice. Presumably, either Harrelson and/or Rockwell will be playing member(s) of this potentially crooked police force.
Rockwell carried a large portion of PSYCHOPATHS on his shoulders in a hugely charismatic, funny turn that made him seem a little more dangerous and even occasionally scary than usual. He also was hilarious as a beleaguered hotel clerk in the Broadway production of A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE alongside his other PSYCHOPATHS co-star, Christopher Walken. It’s awesome to see him as McDonagh’s new go-to guy, now that Colin Farrell seems to skipping this one out.
Harrelson came to PSYCHOPATHS late in the game to replace Mickey Rourke, but managed to hit notes I don’t imagine Rourke would’ve gone for in his portrayal of a vicious gangster with a mighty soft spot for his dog. He wasn’t quite as effective a villain as Ralph Fiennes in IN BRUGES, but he fit well into McDonagh’s world of morally gray, yet vulnerable and enigmatic criminals. He’s had several stellar, shotgun-blast cop roles in the past few years (RAMPART, TRUE DETECTIVE, and TRIPLE 9)
As for Mrs. Coen, well, do we really need a reason to celebrate McDormand’s first lead role in a feature since BURN AFTER READING? Her appearance, once again, made a huge impression amongst way bigger names in HAIL, CAESAR!, and her turn in OLIVE KITTERIDGE got her an Emmy win and a Globe nom. Despite her Oscar win, I still feel she’s underrated and underappreciated amongst modern filmgoers, and that she should at least be heading up films with the same regularity as someone like Meryl Streep. She’ll be the first female lead of a McDonagh film (though his plays have had female protagonists), and I can’t wait to see the results of their collab.
Despite what your feelings might be on SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS, I maintain that McDonagh’s a hell of a writer with a bravery in depicting his own material that allows it to sing off the screen (check out his early short SIX SHOOTER featuring Brendan Gleeson below). Any film of his is a cause for celebration, and it’s good to see this one’s maintaining the same excellent star-power as his first two films.
