America is a Business

Killing Them Softly

Over many years of watching many movies, I have come understand one subtle thing about film…there is always a message. Like fairy tales of old, films supply the audience with some hidden meaning or in some cases, an agenda. Though I have noticed that some films are quite sneaky about hiding their “propaganda” within a film and then there are the ones that like to beat you over the head with it. Movies like 2012’s neo noir Killing Them Softly really like to punch out their ideology, but does it work or does it start to take way from the film?

Frankie (Scoot McNairy Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) is a low level thug amidst New Orleans seedy underbelly just trying to scrape by. However, when Frankie is presented with an opportunity by his boss “Squirrel” (Vincent Curatola The Sopranos) he jumps at the chance. The ‘opportunity’ that is given to Frankie is for him and friend Russell (Ben Mendelsohn Slow West) to rob a high stakes Mob controlled card game. After the heist goes off without a snag, the men who facilitate the card game hire Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt Fury), an enforcer with an impeccable reputation, to find the men responsible and eradicate the problem.

With this film I really feel that I have to critique the film first and at the end really explain my first paragraph. As a movie, I really did like it. Killing Them Softly is for those Elmore Leonard/early Martin Scorsese fans that are looking for a brutal mob/mafia type noir film. What made the film even better in my eyes is that the movie was very eloquently shot and very well put together. The cast was great and the story never deviated to far from the point. My only gripe with be explained at the end of this review.

For all of those Brad Pitt fans out there that may not like their favorite actor becoming a “bad guy”, you can stop worrying. Pitt doesn’t deviate too far from his good guy persona. Though, I will say that he did bring a certain type of grit to this role. I always love actors that step out of the norm (i.e. Jim Carrey/Truman Show, Adam Sandler/Reign on Me), so to see Pitt in a mob hitman role was pretty cool to me. I was also very impressed with Mendelsohn in this movie. Mendelsohn plays a constantly high low life that ironically seems to be very self-assured. There are just some scenes with him that he steals with so little. I’m not really sure how he does it, but it was cool to see how he can divert your attention to his character with him just being stoned. I just want to throw in one actor that I find quite funny in a sarcastic/cynical way is Richard Jenkins (Eat Pray Love). Jenkins plays a middle man for the Mob and Cogan and just comes across satirical without really meaning to. I don’t think that his character was meant to stand out, but he does by just his attitude toward the situation and the snide things he says.

I was first introduced to writer/director Andrew Dominik through his beautifully haunting The Assassination of Jesse James (won’t write out that entire title eesh). I loved that film and the striking visuals that Dominik presents. Killing Them Softly was no let down either. Killing takes its cues from films like Goodfellas and Carlito’s Way and Dominik gives the audience a film that is worthy to be in that type of company. What caught my attention the most was the use of the camera. Dominik uses a lot of low angle shots on Pitt to give him a higher stature and also Dominik employs that long take/following shots just to extract more character from his actors.

Now for my major gripe with the film. Throughout the film the audience is given sound bites from George W. Bush and Barack Obama about the state of the economy and capitalism. These speeches usually come during transitioning periods of the film or when characters are sitting around contemplating the situation. This is a direct symbolism for the film, basically stating that organized crime is a lot like our political and financial state in America. Frankie and Russell are viewed as us normal Americans who try gain money from the mob/American government. However if we get to greedy, the will send an external force/mob hitman to distribute retribution somehow, if by bullet to the head or government penalty. I don’t mind the allegory represented in the film because let’s face it, it makes sense. My problem is the constant beating that I got from watching this film. I thought that the film would have worked a little better if the filmmakers toned that side down a little because after a while I wanted to scream at the TV, “Yeah I get it, government and the mob want their money!”

Other than my one major gripe about the film and if you can tone that side of the movie out, I thought that Killing Them Softly was a great addition to the noir film genre and is recommended for fans of Scorsese’s earlier work. Pitt was interesting as a mob enforcer and I can’t wait to see what else Andrew Dominik gives the world.

The Verdict: Worth Your Time. On Netflix now.