Seven Psychopaths (2012)

Last updated:
June 19, 2025

Seven Psychopaths, directed by Martin McDonagh, is a darkly comic, deeply self-aware, and surprisingly emotional crime-comedy that satirizes Hollywood tropes while delivering sharp dialogue and a meta-layered narrative. The film blends ultraviolence, absurd humor, and existential musings in a way that keeps you both entertained and reflective.

Table of Contents

Detailed Summary

The Setup: Marty’s Writer’s Block

Marty (Colin Farrell) is a struggling screenwriter in Los Angeles trying to finish his script titled Seven Psychopaths. He has the title but no real idea what the film should be about. His best friend, Billy (Sam Rockwell), a part-time actor and full-time lunatic, wants to help Marty find inspiration—by any means necessary.

At the same time, Billy and his partner Hans (Christopher Walken), a religious and eccentric older man, run a dognapping scheme where they steal dogs and return them for reward money. Things go sideways when they unknowingly kidnap a Shih Tzu belonging to Charlie Costello (Woody Harrelson), a deranged gangster with a temper as short as a cigarette.

The Psychopaths Start Emerging

As the narrative unfolds, we’re introduced to various “psychopaths”—some fictional, some real, some from Marty’s script, and others who might be both. These include:

The Jack of Diamonds Killer, a masked man who targets mobsters.
A Vietnamese priest bent on revenge for war atrocities.
A Quaker whose daughter was murdered.
Zachariah and Maggie, a couple who go around killing serial killers.

All these characters appear to orbit Marty’s life, and he struggles to distinguish reality from fiction as the stories he hears start influencing his screenplay.

Marty Loses Control

As Charlie begins to hunt down the people who took his dog, the lines between Marty’s script and his life blur further. Billy reveals he is, in fact, the Jack of Diamonds Killer and that he has been orchestrating much of the chaos as a way to give Marty the drama and inspiration he needs to finish the script. He even placed a fake ad asking psychopaths to share their stories with Marty.

The real kicker? Billy has no intention of giving the dog back. He wants to escalate things into a violent showdown in the desert, inspired by his love for movie clichés. He wants the movie—and real life—to end in a grand shootout.

Movie Ending

The final act takes place in the Mojave Desert, where Billy plans a climactic shootout between himself and Charlie. Marty and Hans are horrified by Billy’s actions and try to talk him down. Hans is still grieving his wife, who has recently died of cancer, and finds little meaning in Billy’s chaotic vision of violence. Tragically, Hans is shot and killed by one of Charlie’s henchmen.

In a final standoff, Billy tries to create a dramatic movie-like ending, complete with last words and heroic poses, but is fatally shot by Charlie. Charlie, in turn, is killed by Marty, who uses Hans’s old gun. Marty, emotionally broken and deeply disturbed by everything that’s transpired, survives and finishes his screenplay.

The movie ends with Marty having completed his script, now called Seven Psychopaths, and reflecting on the cost of using real-life violence and trauma as creative fuel. He receives a call from Zachariah, one of the real “psychopaths” from earlier in the film, who warns Marty he’ll kill him someday if he makes the film. Marty responds calmly and hangs up, suggesting he has made peace with his life—or at least with his work.

Are There Post-Credits Scenes?

Yes, there is a post-credits scene. It features Zachariah, the former serial-killer-killer, watching Marty’s finished film. This adds an extra layer to the meta-narrative: not only has Marty used these psychopaths’ stories in his script, but they’re also now part of the final product that he—and we—are watching. Zachariah’s earlier threat lingers unresolved, hinting at the ongoing tension between art and reality.

Type of Movie

Seven Psychopaths is a black comedy, crime film, and meta-satire. It plays with the conventions of gangster films and writer-in-crisis narratives while layering in philosophical and absurdist elements.

Cast

Colin Farrell as Marty Faranan
Sam Rockwell as Billy Bickle
Christopher Walken as Hans Kieslowski
Woody Harrelson as Charlie Costello
Tom Waits as Zachariah Rigby
Abbie Cornish as Kaya
Olga Kurylenko as Angela
Gabourey Sidibe as Sharice

Film Music and Composer

The film’s score was composed by Carter Burwell, known for his frequent collaborations with the Coen Brothers. His soundtrack weaves melancholic and ironic tones to support the film’s blend of humor, violence, and emotional introspection.

Filming Locations

Seven Psychopaths was shot in and around Los Angeles and the Mojave Desert, grounding its surreal and over-the-top narrative in the real, sun-bleached sprawl of Southern California. These locations help mirror the film’s themes: the madness and artificiality of Hollywood, and the desolate psychological landscape of its characters.

Awards and Nominations

Toronto International Film Festival (2012) – People’s Choice Award (Midnight Madness)
British Independent Film Awards – Nominated for Best Screenplay (Martin McDonagh)
Empire Awards – Nominated for Best Comedy
Although it didn’t sweep major awards, it earned critical praise for its screenplay and performances.

Behind the Scenes Insights

Martin McDonagh wrote the role of Marty specifically for Colin Farrell, mirroring his own real-life experiences with writer’s block.
Sam Rockwell improvised many of Billy’s more manic moments, including the iconic “final shootout” monologue.
The character of Hans was loosely inspired by McDonagh’s own fascination with pacifism and religious conviction.
Tom Waits insisted on holding a live rabbit during all his scenes, as it helped him get into character.
The film was shot in just over 30 days, a relatively quick shoot for such a complex script.

Inspirations and References

The film is heavily inspired by meta-narratives like Adaptation and Being John Malkovich.
The character of Billy Bickle is a nod to Taxi Driver’s Travis Bickle—Sam Rockwell’s character shares similar delusions of grandeur and messiah complexes.
McDonagh draws from his own background in theatre, particularly dark comedies that explore violence and existentialism.

Alternate Endings and Deleted Scenes

While no official alternate ending has been released, early versions of the script had Billy surviving the desert shootout or being arrested rather than killed. These were abandoned to preserve the tragic absurdity of his character arc and to hammer home the consequences of confusing fiction with reality.

Several deleted scenes explore more background on Zachariah and Maggie’s vigilante past but were cut to keep the story focused on Marty’s descent.

Book Adaptations and Differences

The film is not based on a book but functions like a postmodern novel, referencing itself and the process of storytelling. Its structure—a writer’s struggle mirrored in the chaotic plot—resembles literary works that toy with metafiction, such as If on a winter’s night a traveler by Italo Calvino.

Memorable Scenes and Quotes

Key Scenes

Billy’s dream monologue of the “ultimate shootout,” where he describes a hyper-stylized Hollywood ending complete with doves, flamethrowers, and philosophical last words.
Hans’s calm conversation with Charlie about his wife’s death and the Quaker killer story.
The desert standoff where fiction, fantasy, and brutal reality all collide.

Iconic Quotes

Billy: “Put your hands up!”
Marty: “No.”
Billy: “But I’ve got a gun…”
Marty: “I don’t care.”
Hans: “You can’t let the animals die in a movie, only the women.”
Billy: “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.”
Hans: “No, it doesn’t. There’ll be one guy left with one eye.”

Easter Eggs and Hidden Details

Marty shares a name and occupation with Martin McDonagh, making him a likely stand-in for the writer-director.
The dog, Bonny, is symbolic—its purity and obliviousness contrast with the chaos around it, much like McDonagh’s narrative about storytelling itself.
The Jack of Diamonds cards left at murder scenes subtly reference Billy’s personal obsession with theatrics and flair.

Trivia

The movie’s title was almost changed because producers feared it would mislead audiences, but McDonagh insisted.
Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken were McDonagh’s first picks for their roles—and they both said yes instantly.
The film’s runtime is a meta-commentary: a tight 110 minutes, mocking the bloated length of many Hollywood epics.

Why Watch?

Watch Seven Psychopaths if you enjoy movies that are funny, violent, intelligent, and a bit insane. It’s a great pick for fans of dark comedy, genre deconstruction, and screenwriting gone awry. Beneath the chaos, there’s an oddly sincere message about grief, friendship, and artistic integrity.

Director’s Other Movies

In Bruges (2008)
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

Seven Psychopaths (2012)