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Killing Them Softly
(2012, Andrew Dominik)
(2012, Andrew Dominik)
Killing Them Softly is a film that due to its harsh and brutal criminal setting, won’t appeal to everyone. And it is a film that despite a delayed release, failed to pick up any Academy Award nominations, but do not let that put you off what is one of my favourite films of 2012.
The film is based on the 1974 novel ‘Cogan’s Trade’ by George V. Higgins, but it was decided that it should be set in 2008 America in order to integrate the story with the political and economic setting of the 2008 US Presidential election.
The film’s story is simple: a couple of small time criminals are hired by another criminal Johnny ‘Squirrel’ Amato (Vincent Curatola) to rob a card game ran by the infamous Markie Trattman (Ray Liotta). Amato explains that should everything go to plan then the trio would have nothing to worry about as the blame would fall upon Trattman due to a previous incident in which he organised a robbery on his own game. The story though is not really important, it is relatively straightforward, what is important is the criminal world that we have an insight of, a local economy and the people who inhabit it and their lives.
The two main characters whose lives we have possibly the biggest insight to are Jackie (Brad Pitt) and Mickey (James Gandolfini). Brad Pitt is superb as the hit man responsible for sorting out the crisis created, he delivers most of the film’s memorable dialogue that includes some final lines, but more important to the film are the conversations he shares with others in the middle passage. Approaching the situation from a neutral, unbiased and level headed perspective, he argues with the ‘Driver’ (Richard Jenkins), who meets with him to deal with the situation, over various issues surrounding the crisis, he knows that Markie Trattman is not responsible but he explains how he still must die. He acts as the man who delivers the grim, dismal and inevitable bad news, even death, to various characters, ultimately reinforcing the message that hope – despite political propaganda – is just that, that life will ultimately never get better for these people who are involved in a dark and depressing business.
Whilst Brad Pitt’s character acts as the man responsible for delivering death, he refuses to get close to any of the men he needs to kill, he does not want emotions to get involved and instead likes to kill them softly, from a distance. This is where James Gandolfini’s character comes in, a character that has limited screen time but makes a huge impact. There are only two scenes that I can actually recall with Mickey, a hit man called in to help out Jackie, he turns out to be far from the man that Jackie remembers him as, now a past his prime, alcohol loving and prostitute addicted old man, it quickly becomes apparent that he wont be committing no murder. These two scenes are filled with dialogue, I have actually heard some people criticise this and label his character and stories pointless, this however is far from true and these conversations act as a negative and pessimistic reminder of the dismal fate of men. Jackie, who refuses to get emotionally connected to any of his victims, finds himself listening to a man who represents to him someone who he could potentially become, Mickey is the only character who refuses to take orders from Jackie, and in a reversed role ironically ends up being the bearer of bad news to Jackie.
The rest of the supporting cast are as strong as they need to be, each one having their individual moments of interaction with Brad Pitt’s lead character. Another actor who stood out for me was Scoot McNairy as Frankie, the more intelligent half of the duo that robs the card game at the beginning of the film.
As well as containing great performances and dialogue, the film is also brilliantly directed from a stylistic point of view; with Dominik doing a great job of created a dark and gritty atmosphere to fit the run down criminal community. There are a number of fantastic and memorable scenes in the film; my favourite involves brilliant use of slow motion in a graphic and bloody drive by murder.
Being a massive fan of The Sopranos as well as numerous crime films such as Goodfellas, I was looking forward to watching this film. Although it has two actors from the former and shares noticeable elements with the latter, as a whole it felt like something much different, a unique film that works because off the world it creates and its in inhabits that represent to us the cynical and depressing side of the world, in that sense I would say a better comparison is to the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men.
If I had to recommend to people one film from 2012 to see, I would avoid the bigger names and crow pleasing usual suspects, and go with Killing Them Softly. A unique film that has fantastic direction, a great screenplay and all round great performances, unfortunately it seems to have been met with a ‘love it or hate it’ reception, probably down to its cynical and pessimistic message. Soon I suspect I will watch The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, an earlier film from Dominik that is based in a genre that I love (Western), if it is as good as this – generally I have heard more positive thoughts on it - then I am sure I will love it.
The film is based on the 1974 novel ‘Cogan’s Trade’ by George V. Higgins, but it was decided that it should be set in 2008 America in order to integrate the story with the political and economic setting of the 2008 US Presidential election.
The film’s story is simple: a couple of small time criminals are hired by another criminal Johnny ‘Squirrel’ Amato (Vincent Curatola) to rob a card game ran by the infamous Markie Trattman (Ray Liotta). Amato explains that should everything go to plan then the trio would have nothing to worry about as the blame would fall upon Trattman due to a previous incident in which he organised a robbery on his own game. The story though is not really important, it is relatively straightforward, what is important is the criminal world that we have an insight of, a local economy and the people who inhabit it and their lives.
The two main characters whose lives we have possibly the biggest insight to are Jackie (Brad Pitt) and Mickey (James Gandolfini). Brad Pitt is superb as the hit man responsible for sorting out the crisis created, he delivers most of the film’s memorable dialogue that includes some final lines, but more important to the film are the conversations he shares with others in the middle passage. Approaching the situation from a neutral, unbiased and level headed perspective, he argues with the ‘Driver’ (Richard Jenkins), who meets with him to deal with the situation, over various issues surrounding the crisis, he knows that Markie Trattman is not responsible but he explains how he still must die. He acts as the man who delivers the grim, dismal and inevitable bad news, even death, to various characters, ultimately reinforcing the message that hope – despite political propaganda – is just that, that life will ultimately never get better for these people who are involved in a dark and depressing business.
Whilst Brad Pitt’s character acts as the man responsible for delivering death, he refuses to get close to any of the men he needs to kill, he does not want emotions to get involved and instead likes to kill them softly, from a distance. This is where James Gandolfini’s character comes in, a character that has limited screen time but makes a huge impact. There are only two scenes that I can actually recall with Mickey, a hit man called in to help out Jackie, he turns out to be far from the man that Jackie remembers him as, now a past his prime, alcohol loving and prostitute addicted old man, it quickly becomes apparent that he wont be committing no murder. These two scenes are filled with dialogue, I have actually heard some people criticise this and label his character and stories pointless, this however is far from true and these conversations act as a negative and pessimistic reminder of the dismal fate of men. Jackie, who refuses to get emotionally connected to any of his victims, finds himself listening to a man who represents to him someone who he could potentially become, Mickey is the only character who refuses to take orders from Jackie, and in a reversed role ironically ends up being the bearer of bad news to Jackie.
The rest of the supporting cast are as strong as they need to be, each one having their individual moments of interaction with Brad Pitt’s lead character. Another actor who stood out for me was Scoot McNairy as Frankie, the more intelligent half of the duo that robs the card game at the beginning of the film.
As well as containing great performances and dialogue, the film is also brilliantly directed from a stylistic point of view; with Dominik doing a great job of created a dark and gritty atmosphere to fit the run down criminal community. There are a number of fantastic and memorable scenes in the film; my favourite involves brilliant use of slow motion in a graphic and bloody drive by murder.
Being a massive fan of The Sopranos as well as numerous crime films such as Goodfellas, I was looking forward to watching this film. Although it has two actors from the former and shares noticeable elements with the latter, as a whole it felt like something much different, a unique film that works because off the world it creates and its in inhabits that represent to us the cynical and depressing side of the world, in that sense I would say a better comparison is to the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men.
If I had to recommend to people one film from 2012 to see, I would avoid the bigger names and crow pleasing usual suspects, and go with Killing Them Softly. A unique film that has fantastic direction, a great screenplay and all round great performances, unfortunately it seems to have been met with a ‘love it or hate it’ reception, probably down to its cynical and pessimistic message. Soon I suspect I will watch The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, an earlier film from Dominik that is based in a genre that I love (Western), if it is as good as this – generally I have heard more positive thoughts on it - then I am sure I will love it.
RATING: