Brad
Pitt plays Jackie Cogan, a hardened hit-man, in his newest crime film, KILLING
THEM SOFTLY. Two small time criminals hold up a card game funded by the
local crime bosses and thus disturb the natural economics of the local crime
scene. Cogan is hired by nameless, faceless, corporate-esque men to take care
of those involved in order to restore balance. A high-profile lawyer (Richard Jenkins) acts
as a messenger between Cogan and the nameless men.
The
film is based on the novel, Cogan’s Trade, by George V. Higgins. The
book was originally written in the 1940’s but the filmmakers position KILLING
THEM SOFTLY in 2008 during the presidential campaign and, as we know, the
state of the economy played an integral role.
The
film aims to expose America’s economic system as faulty and criminally
motivated. Significantly, it opens with Frankie (one of the robbers played by
Scoot McNairy) walking out of a darkened tunnel and into a desolate and trash
ridden New Orleans. It looks almost post-apocalyptic. A speech by Barack Obama
is played in the background while Lynchian-esque sounds reverberate between the
speakers. The sounds were disconcerting and that’s when I realized that the
film was not going to be the piece of typical Hollywood fare that I had
expected after watching KILLING THEM SOFTLY’s trailers and
advertisements. The pulsating sounds undermine Obama’s speech and thus place
the film into a critical stance.
KILLING THEM SOFTLY’s trailer seems geared to appeal to those seeking an action
packed, mind numbing piece of cinema when it's actually a rather dialogue heavy
(though very crass and vulgar at times) film. This is not to say that the film
isn't violent at times. Ray Liotta receives one of the most raw and visceral
beatings I’ve seen, and the emphasized sounds of fist hitting flesh are
cringe-worthy. Much of the violence was highly stylized with the use of slow
motion, editing and camera positioning. However, it serves only as an
accompaniment to the many long conversations between characters.
Many
have called KILLING THEM SOFTLY a neo-noir and it certainly invokes that
sensibility at times. I would also consider it to be a modern day gangster/mobster
film without the traditional glorification of crime, as the reality it shows us
is not at all glamorous. The money is scarce because of a failing economic
system and the cities aren’t thriving. Not even the mobsters live a lavish
lifestyle anymore.
2 1/2 out of 4 stars
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