Very Bad Things (1998)

I don't know how Very Bad Things ended up on my watchlist —I think it was on a Top 10 Black Comedies list or something—, I just know that it did somehow and I've been putting it off ever since, that being about four years. I finally decided to give it a chance and damn, it is messed up. 

The film follows a group of friends, Kyle Fisher (Jon Favreau), Charles Moore (Leland Orser), Robert Boyd (Christian Slater), Michael Berkow (Jeremy Piven) and his brother Adam (Daniel Stern), who heads to Las Vegas for Kyle's bachelor party. With booze and cocaine in their bloodstream, they get pretty wild, things get out of control and a prostitute (Kobe Tai) gets killed. They decide to get rid of the body and soon the bodies are piling up. 

In Bruges (2008)

Genres

Comedy | Drama

Director

Martin McDonagh

Country

UK | USA

Cast

Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Clémence Poésy, Jordan Prentice, Thkle Reuten, Jérémie Reiner, Anna Madeley, Elizabeth Berrington, Eric Godon, Zeljko Ivanek, Ciaran Hinds

Storyline

After an awry job in a London church, Irish hit-men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) are sent, waiting for orders, to Bruges, Belgium, by their ruthless boss (Ralph Fiennes).

Opinion

I first heard of "In Bruges" years ago in a top 10 dark comedies list and I decided to watch it because of Colin Farrell. And I also thought it'd be cool to see Lord Volvermort with a nose for a change (please, don't judge my younger self). Anyway, I watched it, and it left me speechless. It really was one of the best dark comedies I saw until then. I've seen a lot of dark comedies since that day, but this is still my favourite because it isn't just funny, but it is smart and thought-provoking.

In his feature lenght debut, Martin McDonagh showed off his amazing writing talent with a multi-layered story that goes from comedy to drama very fast, but so gracefully that it feels like the most natural thing in the world. For this reason, and because of the several plot twists as well, the bizarre and original story he brought to the screen is very interesting and will keep your attention the whole way through.

And it does have a meaning as well. "In Bruges" deals with crisis of conscience, waiting for judgement, sticking to one's principles, but most important it tells a simple thing, violence is absurd and pointless. It is stylised in the film but only to point out its surrelism.

Acting as some sort of purgatory on Earth, the beautiful, picturesque city of Bruges is perfect, and the photography - according to a friend of mine who visited the city - wonderfully captures the magic of the city.

At last but not least there is the cast who delivers the brilliant dialogue to perfection, from Colin Farrell who provides a deep and comedic portrayal of his character, a man slowly consumed by his actions and sense of guilt to Brendan Gleeson, equally good as Farrell's mate who represents the moral center of the film to Ralph Fiennes who also gives a fantastic and quite psychotic performance.

Seven Psychopaths (2012)

Genre
Comedy

Director
Martin McDonagh

Country
United States

Cast
Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, Abbie Cornish, Olga Kurylenko, Tom Waits, Zeljko Ivanek, Helena Mattsson, Kevin Corrigan, Gabourey Sidibe, Michael Stuhlbarg, Michael Pitt, Brendan Sexton III

Plot
Marty (Colin Farrell) is a struggling writer who dreams of finishing his screenplay, Seven Psychopaths
Marty's friend Billy (Sam Rockwell) is an employed actor who makes a living by kidnapping dogs and collecting the owners' cash rewards for their safe return. His partner-in-crime is Hans (Christopher Walken), a religious man with a criminal past. 
Charlie (Woody Harrelson) is the mobster to whom Billy has stolen the beloved dog, and he will use any means to get back the dog alive and to kill the two thieves.
After a sequence of events, Marty finally finds the inspiration for his film.

Opinion
Martin McDonagh's second film after "In Bruges", this is one of the best black comedies of recent years. The plot is a bit complex but never trivial. The music's choice is great and the actors are excellent, in particular Christopher Walken.


Quotes
You can't let the animals die in a movie... only the women.

Rating
7.5/10