"Killing Them Softly" (2012)

"Killing Them Softly" (2012) Review:

"Money, That's What I Want"

 

The recession is a big deal now as it was in late 2008 where it took the spotlight during the last gasps of the presidential campaign. Yet today, when the economy seems as if it's beginning to pick up and the world looks a bit brighter than it did in October of 2008, it is difficult to try and talk about that moment and allow it to have the full effect that it would have had back then. This is the first problem 

with "Killing Them Softly" (2012), Andrew Dominik's latest feature film; the film did a lot of telling and not showing.

Now what does that mean? In short, the film, through dialogue which sounded a bit stagey at times, told you about what America was and how everything in America is about money and how everyone in the pursuit of success is on their own. As opposed to showing this, the film made it a point to give the audience that message through overt dialogue and witty asides. Is this bad, no, as largely it is close to impossible to pull off that concept through this story.

The story is rather straightforward. After a closed mob game protected by Markie Trattman (Ray Liotta) is robbed, Trattman is suspected of begin the one who set everything up as he did during a game some indefinite point in the past. In fact, the game was robbed by two small time crooks Frankie (Scoot McNairy) and Russell (Ben Mendelsohn) who are tipped off by Johnny Amato (Vincent Curatola). A larger mob organization responsible for many of the men's money during the game (however the exact relationship is unclear) contracts Jackie (Brad Pitt) an enforcer to hunt down Trattman to improve public image and encourage more people to continue to attend the mob attended games. After which he is told to kill Russell, Frankie, and Amato for their role in the robbery. From there the story continues at some points sprinting, then stoping and meandering, and ultimately rushing through it's own arc as it chooses. Some may find this a bit too slow, which at times it seemed, yet the film obviously had a purpose. What that purpose was was somewhat unclear, yet most certainly visible. 

The film makes interesting use of footage from the 2008 presidential campaign as well as presidential statements on the bailouts both as ironic humor as well as overt messages the film feels it can hide inside the story without having a character share this view. I found the clips somewhat distracting and ultimately inefficient as they had no real bearing on the film yet seemed added to make the film seem deeper than it was, which is really a shame. Was this lazy script writing; using obvious and grandiose quotes about America to help frame the ideas presented? Perhaps. However this added a new aspect to the drama which gave the film an extra level to pay attention to, and while it was ultimately irrelevant, it was interesting to re-listen to some of Obama's old speeches and reflect on his promises which while perhaps not being the intention of the filmmaker was certainly interesting.

As for the scrip itself; I found my mind wandering during long and ultimately meaningless monologues that seemed to start, wander and then peter out without much actual meaning. However some of the film's dialogue, it should be noted, is phenomenal with a keep eye towards authenticity. However the last half hour of the film is tragically predictable but despite this I still maintained some shred of hope in what was a truly grim and gritty ending which was, in and of itself a success in storytelling.

The film perhaps suffered from a somewhat star studded cast which made it difficult for the viewer to distinguish the character from the actor and separated the characters from the story oh so slightly. However the performances were solid if not fascinating yet not truly remarkable as Daniel Day Lewis was in "Lincoln" (2012) or Joaquin Phoenix in "The Master" (2012). I actually enjoyed Pitt's performance which has been in some circles panned for being to... well, too much like Brad Pitt. I however viewed the character as a man struggling in some moments to justify his career as a killer for hire which struck me as a fascinating juxt opposition between the common view of the killer for hire, mainly a man who takes pleasure in death, and the enforcer who, in some small way hates his job. 

One interesting not was the film's style. With a heavy use of rain, the film toyed with several of it's most important moments such as a shooting toward the middle of the film which made interesting use of glass shards, water and blood in slow motion. The film's audio was also interesting as it had little to no score and almost free floating selected sounds from the world around the characters that would at times come to fill the audience's ears and then cease altogether. In this sense, the film was artistically intriguing yet the film ultimately did not do as much with the actual substance.

What are we to make of this movie? A question I consistently ask myself and one which will haunt me about this movie for days to come yet and important one nonetheless. Was it pessimistic? Duh. But it seemed to enjoy itself as it stumbled through the world of the low life mobster and pace itself accordingly. If nothing else, the film attempted to plant an idea in the audience's heads; America is about money and everybody is on their own. And that in itself is ambitious and intriguing. 


Stars: 8.5 / 10