Film Review: Killing Them Softly

Film: Killing Them Softly

Director: Andrew Dominik    Cast: Brad Pitt, Ben Mendelsohn, James Gandolfini, Scott McNairy, Richard Jenkins, Ray Liotta, Sam Shepard

Rated: R     Distributor: The Weinstein Company, Plan B Entertainment      Running Time: 97 Min.

For Killing Them Softly, getting whacked never looked so good.

Set in Post-Katrina New Orleans, Killing Them Softly pins professional hit man Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt) being hired to take out some backhanded thieves played by Frankie (Scoot McNairy) and Russell (Ben Mendelsohn) when the two decide to rob the wrong poker game ran by Markie (Ray Liotta). As with any gangster story – Softly (loosely based on the George V. Higgins novel Cogan’s Trade) brings lots of side-characters out of the woodwork to help lend a hand in the storytelling; not the least, the scary-behind-the-eyes alcoholic sub-contractor Mickey (James Gandolfini) who is brought into the game by Jackie to help restore order to the local criminal economy.

New Zealand-born, Australia-bred writer-director Andrew Dominik has directed a wonderful follow-up to his 2008, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford release. The tightly-paced 97 minute film is a treat to watch and experience. While many of the Boston-steeped idiosyncrasies have been taken out of this story, Dominik has managed to keep the dialogue quick and punchy. The foul-mouthed characters aren’t a far cry from caricatures but the narrative has been pushed back to allow for the audience to really pay attention to the interactions, and watching all of the principle actors work together is a pleasure. Dominik has managed to fit laughter into easy, brutal and even extreme cases to craft a bleak and engrossing dark Comedy.

Generally, people will attend this film for the lead actor’s name and Brad Pitt’s performance will leave the theater-goers satisfied. The often-overexagerated actor pulls out a subtle,well-honed, cool and detached performance this time around; Pitt displays minimal gestures and eye glances that make Jackie cut a room apart just by walking in.

Finally, KTS reveals some enjoyable cinematic aesthetics happening both via sound and visuals.  Sound design and Scoring both help to frame several sequences – the 2008 fiscal panic was never so exciting or intense, while other sequences involving visuals (while not surprising or a first attempt in cinema) are so appealing audiences will not be able to pull their gaze away from the screen.

While The Weinstein Co. keeps putting out marketing materials that give the basic premise of this movie, they certainly don’t show the film off properly. In fact,  a downside to the film is the Art Direction and the contemporary correlations which Dominic tries to mesh together (i.e. bygone era cars, clothing and design vs. current day American financial issues) give a confusing image of what time period we should place the film in; one must ask – are we in 70’s era Nixon ran America or Bush’s 2008 dream of the U.S.A. Luckily, Softly is more concerned with themes rather than actuals.

Aptly named, Killing Them Softly refers to the method which our central character inflicts murder upon his victim’s – this film will do exactly that with its audience, which will keep coming back for more.

Notable Performances Include:

Ben Mendelsohn as a frenetic and neurotic thief combined with his paranoid friend Scoot McNairy – the team are a treat to explore; Richard Jenkins as a voyeuristic, middle-management mob lawyer; James Gandolfini as a brute of a hit man who is able to single-handed keep a film moving while elongating each moment; Ray Liotta – as…well, Ray Liotta in another ganger flick.

Rating: B

– Matt Miles, Producer, Fresh Roasted Films