Monday, December 10, 2012

Movie Review ... Killing Them Softly

 

killing-them-softly-movie-poster-2012The quote ‘crime doesn’t pay’ has been ignored by the entertainment industry.  Countless movies and TV series have achieved cult status by delving deep into crime’s grimy underbelly with audiences enjoying watching people behaving very badly.  ‘Killing Them Softly’ dives into this murky world with aplomb.  Examining a group of gangsters living in a world of fast money, the gritty toughness making the genre so popular is found in plentiful supply.

When Russell (Ben Mendelsohn) and Frankie (Scott McNairy) stage a daring heist during a mob-related poker game, fury erupts.  Determined to catch them, professional enforcer Jackie (Brad Pitt) is hired.  Unafraid in ripping apart the shadowy streets to find the men, Jackie’s street-smarts keep him in good stead.  Meeting mobsters Mickey (James Gandolfini) and Markie (Ray Liotta) along the way, the path becomes littered with the bodies of those daring to stand in Jackie’s way.

Adapted from George V. Higgins’ novel ‘Cogan’s Trade’, ‘Killing Them Softly’ is lean and very mean.  It’s a rough environment the characters inhabit with money and violence their reasons for living.  Being an outsider, Jackie sees the empty lives his employers lead and is continually amazed at how obsessed they are in making the next score.  Despite his professionalism his calm approach in taking out his victims masks an inner anger he feels at the hollow promises he hears.

Not much screen-time is wasted with Director Andrew Dominik ensuring a fast pace.  The retro-style cinematography adds immeasurably to the atmosphere even if Dominik occasionally becomes lost in the visuals than story.  It’s interesting how the script juxtaposes the shady business dealings with the current economic crisis.  The lack of hard cash everyone desires makes them more desperate and dangerous to hold onto their illicit earnings adding much to the screenplay’s already volatile cocktail.

‘Killing Them Softly’ proves there will always be a market for crime.  It helps it’s well written and acted with the rough and tumble of their existed laid bare in all its brutal glory.

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Movie Review Rating  7 / 10

Movie Review by Patrick Moore

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