Apparently I was one of the few who actually went to see Killing Them Softly this past weekend. The film only made $7 million and I personally watched two elderly women get up and walk out after the first twenty minutes. I will be the first one to admit that Killing Them Softly is not for everyone. Between the dialogue and the bloodshed, it is a rough-and-tough film and I can definitely see people hating it. Yet, for me, I was engaged and entertained all the way through. Also, the charismatic, intense performance by Brad Pitt keeps you on the edge of your seat and listening to every word he has to say.
This slick crime-thriller marks the first film for director Andrew Dominik since The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (which also displayed a terrific performance by Pitt) back in 2007. It takes place in Louisiana during the 2008 election, and when the economy is on a downward spiral. Mobster Mickie (Ray Liotta) runs a poker game and two idiots think it’s a bright idea to rob it. The good news is Frankie (Scoot McNairy) and Russell (Ben Mendelsohn) actually succeed and get away with the cash. The bad news is hitman Jackie Cogan (Pitt) is brought in to clean it up and get the poker games back up and running and the cash flowing again. It only gets messier from there.
Richard Jenkins plays Jacki’s Mob contact whose bosses are cheap and want to get their money’s worth. The scenes between Jenkins and Pitt are funny while being borderline terrifying due to the way they negotiate murdering people. They make seem so easy and just as if it’s business as usual which I suppose it is. Jacki seeks help in a washed-up assassin (James Gandolfini) who spends most of his time with hookers and drinking instead of pulling the trigger. It would be safe to say Jacki may be on his own on this one.
Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I have seen a bad Brad Pitt performance. The characters he has played in movies like the Oceans trilogy and Burn After Reading to Benjamin Button and last year’s Moneyball are all so different and never have you seen Pitt like this on-screen before as Jacki Cogan. So if you are hoping to see the fun, witty, good-looking Pitt then you may want to skip Killing Them Softly because there is little humor in this film and no one is having fun.
We do not know a lot about Jacki, but then again very few do. He is a man who has been in the killing business for a long time. There is no mistaking the amount of experience he has under his belt. However, Pitt does not portray Jacki as a cold-hearted, ruthless hitman as we have seen in countless movies before. His is respectful and capable of being compassionate and that’s rare to have in his line of work. He tries not to make work personal and prefers to make it quick and easy with no suffering involved, which explains why he likes to kill from a distance.
Jacki is good at what he does. He is an intelligent guy who is fully aware of what he is involved in. And it’s Pitt who brings this calming coolness to the character that makes you feel like you could have a beer with the him or he could become your worst nightmare in the snap of a finger. It is a quiet yet powerful performance that demands your attention and an actor like Pitt undoubtedly does just that. It is simply tremendous on what Pitt can do with each character he plays and he still just keeps on surprising everyone with every film he does.
Dominik makes it obvious on what he thinks about corporate-America and the reality of capitalism. The theme throughout Killing Them Softly is how murder is just as much of a booming business as any other in this country. Even if you haven’t done anything, it does not mean you are not seen as guilty. Someone always has to take the fall in order to send a message to everyone else. It makes people take notice. Dominik makes it very clear that no matter what you do, feel, or say, in the end, you’re on your own. It is every man for himself and this comes across in a violent, effective way throughout Jacki’s journey.
Dominik gives Killing Them Softly a strong, steady pace with outbursts of extreme violence. While some will hate the film because of the violence, others will be disappointed because they will think there should have been more of it. There is more talking than one might think or want, but there is a story to tell and the bullets and blood are not unnecessary. In the world these guys live in, there are reasons for all of it.
Killing Them Softly is a stylish, gritty film that does not shy away from being brutal and in your face. With the boost of Pitt’s darkly exciting portrayal, Dominik creates an atmosphere full of intensity and fear. He let’s everyone shake, rattle, and roll and makes no apologies for it.
Brandon Vick is the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and star of Brandon’s Box Office In Your Mouth. Follow him on Twitter@SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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