Killing Them Softly Reviews

(MU) Dominik learning from the genre and the masters and even has a Liotta as good as in 'Goodfellas'. Pitt is learning too, and pronounces the right words in cynical response to Obama´s speeches. Gandolfino as an alcoholic killer and the australian junkie, nice touches

Man, it seems that Andrew Dominik and Brad Pitt will never catch a break… Back in 2007, they made ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’(allegedly Brad Pitt’s favorite performance of his own) and even though it was loved by some, it was barely seen at the time. 5 years later, they come up with another project and, this time, not only it was again barely seen but it didn’t get much love either. Personally, I did like it but, I have to admit it, the whole thing was really flawed but let’s start with the good stuff. In my opinion, the whole thing looked great, with an often gorgeous cinematography and a very nice tone and style. Furthermore, the acting was just top-notch (Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini, Richard Jenkins, Ray Liotta, Sam Shepard). So, what went wrong then? The first bewildering thing was, while ‘Jesse James’ was very long (it was supposed to be even 4 hours long but nevermind), this movie was not even 90 minutes and, to make things even stranger, Dominik chose to put some very long dialog scenes (the dialogs were fine by the way) so there was a rather awkward rhythm during the whole duration. I mean, the late James Gandolfini was really good in this but the whole section including his character didn’t add much to the whole thing. It is like the recurring political speeches in the background, it was a failed and really pretentious gimmick to supposedly add some sub-text to this weak screenplay. To conclude, I’m pretty sure my rating is too generous but in spite of its flaws, I still enjoyed the damned thing and I still think it is worth a look, especially if you are interested in Andrew Dominik’s work.

"They cry, they plead, they beg, they piss themselves, they cry for their mothers. It gets embarrassing. I like to kill 'em softly. From a distance."

Director Andrew Dominik's third feature film after Chopper and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, 2012's Killing Them Softly is a brutal tale of mob politics based on George V. Higgins' 1974 novel Cogan's Trade. On top of being a gritty gangster picture, the film provides a thoughtful commentary on America's current political and economical climate. Indeed, Dominik highlights that the mob and the government are in fact very similar, though neither party is prepared to admit it. For those unwilling to pay full attention and engage their brain, Killing Them Softly may be ultimately unsatisfying, as it asks more of you than a routine shoot-'em-up. While the film is maddening from time to time, it does contain a number of inspired moments, and it's rich with atmosphere and nuance.

With the 2008 presidential election looming, a low-level gangster named Johnny Amato (Curatola) hires a pair of grungy hoods (McNairy and Mendelsohn) to rob a mob card game. The organiser of the card game, Markie (Liotta), has been known for robbing his own game in the past, and thus the robbers believe that the "street" will just assume that Markie is to blame yet again. After the heist, an unnamed mafia middleman (Jenkins) brings in an enforcer named Jackie Cogan (Pitt) to sort out the situation. Cogan's task is to seek reparations for the stolen money, and kill anyone necessary in the process.

Killing Them Softly clocks in at a refreshingly brisk 95 minutes, though Dominik's first cut reportedly ran a more sizeable two-and-a-half hours. As a result, the picture does feel unusually streamlined, and the dialogue is perhaps a tad too terse, rendering the narrative somewhat difficult to follow. With a few key events actually happening off-screen, Killing Them Softly demands your fullest attention lest you get hopelessly lost.

Interestingly, one of the primary concerns of Dominik's screenplay is social commentary. At several points throughout the film, characters literally stop what they're doing to listen to speeches delivered by either Obama or McCain as they lament the dire state of the American economy. Dominik draws parallels between mobsters and politicians, as both types of individuals only really care about themselves, and are driven by the relentless pursuit of money. The very final line of dialogue delivered by Pitt solidifies this underlying theme in a very thought-provoking manner. Fortunately, Dominik supplemented the biting political satire with dark humour; Killing Them Softly is littered with amusing banter, as well as a memorably terrific instance of slapstick. Dominik is so often recognised for his distinctive cinematic style (and rightfully so), but his talent for colourful dialogue deserves acknowledgement as well.

From a technical standpoint, Andrew Dominik's efforts are immaculate here. The picture exudes a marvellous sense of visual command, and it's slick and stylised whilst still feeling somewhat raw. The moments of violence are especially impressive thanks to Greig Fraser's cinematography and the extraordinary sound design. The heist sequence is nail-bitingly tense, and every time a punch is landed or a gun is discharged, we experience it in a visceral fashion. The death of one character is especially remarkable; it unfolds in ultra slow-motion, letting us absorb the visual symphony of bullets, broken glass, falling rain, and blood. It's a true spectacle of brutality, perhaps one of the most memorable instances of cinematic bloodshed in 2012. Another excellent touch is the music. Killing Them Softly is not suffused with an original score; instead, Dominik mostly relied on an array of songs which add a great atmosphere to the picture. The most notable song choice is Johnny Cash's The Man Comes Around; the lyrics have strong parallels to the Jackie Cogan character, and the melodies are haunting.

The cast is solid from top to bottom, but it's Brad Pitt who deserves the most credit. As Cogan, the actor is spot-on, playing an interesting and complex anti-hero which is far removed from the type of performance we often see from him. Meanwhile, Richard Jenkins is predictably excellent here. Jenkins is suitably understated and low-key, yet always believable and riveting. Equally terrific is James Gandolfini as Mickey, one of Cogan's acquaintances. Rounding out the key players is Ben Mendelsohn (Animal Kingdom) who's skin-crawlingly creepy as a low-level hood, and Ray Liotta who is surprisingly multifaceted as gangster Markie.

It's somewhat of a challenge to review Andrew Dominik's Killing Them Softly, as my thoughts on the film were actually changing throughout the writing process. Immediately after viewing the film I was left somewhat unfulfilled, but the more I contemplate it, the more I appreciate it. Ultimately, this is a solid motion picture, a stylised gangster flick with a relevant message that demands multiple viewings.

7.7/10

I adore Andrew Dominik, CHOPPER is just stupendous and THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES is my favourite film of the 00s. As such I was very much excited for KILLING HIM SOFTLY. As such I’m kind of conflicted about the film, because I think from any other director I’d view it as an absolute slamdunk, but as a follow up to THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES it feels at times kind of perfunctory.

That isn’t actually fair, for it’s first hour the film is amazing, it just deflates in its last half hour and ends on a resolution which I’m not sure about. The ultimate resolution feels earned and is perfectly keeping within the tone of the film, but it happens so switftly and mercilessly that I was left wondering what the overall point of the film was. Set just before the 2008 election, and littered with news excerpts dealing with the economic downturn, the film seems to be largely about individualism vs. groupwork and how that synchs up with the modern America. It’s a point that is kind of hammered home through discussions between the characters and through a fairly lengthy monologue towards the end of the film. As such whilst there’s an obvious theme that the film is going for, the plot sort of exists to facilitate that theme. This is something that Dominik did with both his previous films (CHOPPER was more a character study than anything else, whilst THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES used plot as one of many tools) but in KILLING THEM SOFTLY it feels jarring. This is largely because the Elmore Leonard style setup and sheer volume of dialogue throughout the film grounds it in a way that the more ethereal ASSASSINATION wasn’t. As such you’re left wanting a satisfying resolution to the plot, rather than theme.

That isn’t to say the film isn’t good, it’s borderline brilliant at times, playing with mood and tone with an amazingly deft touch and showing some directorial flourishes which should be hokey but which are executed which such command that they actually become kind of jaw dropping. The first hour of the film is great, and it largely benefits from a razor like focus on a small selection of characters.The first half of the film largely deals with a trio of small time criminals and their plans to rob a card game. The continued focus on these characters, and in particular the focus on the two actual robbers Frankie and Russell, buoys the first act even when the film is dumping information. It helps that Scoot McNairy and Ben Mendelsohn have great chemistry. Mendelsohn in particular (who was so great in ANIMAL KINGDOM and so ridiculously wasted in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES) manages to make what should be a sketch of a character actually work. He really brings a sense of history and persona to a character who is largely a cipher and his camaraderie with McNairy is fantastic. It’s when the film moves away from these two to focus on an ensemble cast that the film sort of loses its way, Brad Pitt sort of flits in and out of the picture at will and whilst he is great it’s hard not to shake the feeling that this is something of a vanity project for him. Pitt’s character, Cogan, has very little to do other than wax lyrical and be exceptionally proficient at what he does. He’s like some streetwise sage, who happens to be murderously efficient.

Pitt isn’t the problem, but having the film be framed as so in awe of his character sort of robs the film of an actual protagonist as the Frankie and Russell sort of disappear into the background during the second act. The introduction, late on, of Gandolfini doesn’t help either as his scenes are essentially monologues in all but name and need some kind of pay off that never comes. Essentially by the time the third act roles around we’ve become so disconnected from Frankie and Russell that it doesn’t really matter what happens to them.

Which is a shame because the film is Great, it just feels like it’s missing something to make all the elements work together. When the film is working it feels like a stablemate of JACKIE BROWN, when it’s not it feels closer to THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOU’RE DEAD.