Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

SimonJack "Killing Them Softly" is based on a 2012 novel, "Cogan's Trade," by George V. Higgins (1939-1999). Higgins was someone with a varied career and interests. He is best known for his crime novels. "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" (1970) was made into a blockbuster film of the same title in 1973, starring Robert Mitchum. Before his full-time fiction writing, Higgins worked as a reporter for the Boston Globe and Associated Press. And, before that he got a law degree and served in government positions working on organized crime. So, he clearly had the background and experience to write books on the subject. I haven't read his 2012 book by the same title as this film, and am not interested in doing so. I don't know if the movie follows the book, but the film is little more than a portrayal of one hardened, detached hit man killing three guys, one at a time. Brad Pit is the mob's hit man, Jackie Cogan. There's very little of interest in this movie – it's a running dialog between characters leading up to the "contract" being fulfilled. What acting there is isn't very good. I can't imagine the book holding anyone's interest if it was at all like the film. This is just another modern vulgar and dark film about characters living in the underworld. I can't imagine anyone enjoying this sort of stuff. It may be rated "R," but we know that it won't stop adolescents from watching it at home, with or without parents. So, to some kids this might just be a portrayal of how easy it is to kill someone. One would hope not, but that's about all the message this film had that I could find. It's too bad the stars who go back at least a couple decades don't shy away from stuff like this. They might try their hands at dramas or other films that require acting. Unfortunately, this film isn't a recommendation for Brad Pitt, Richard Jenkins or Ray Liotta. It's another one I found in the cheap bin at the store, so I'm going to be more wary of such films in the future.

NateWatchesCoolMovies What can I really say about Andrew Dominik's Killing Them Softly. Well, my bosses named our site after it, and judging by our ongoing excellent taste in film (hehe), the namesake of our moniker should be a masterpiece. It is a masterpiece, a slow burning, truly clever crime yarn that slightly deconstructs the genre, sets it's story at a pivitol time in American history, and has some of the most hard hitting, intimate scenes of violence I've seen on film. Dominik takes his sweet damn time getting to know these characters before any bloodshed occurs, and when it does, it's a visceral affront to the senses, pulveruzing us with a very un-cinematic, realistic and entirely ugly vision of violence. Ray Liotta plays Markie, an illegal gambling official who once robbed one of his own games, subsequently boasting about it like a chump. When another of his outfits is knocked off by two scrappy losers (Ben Mendelsohn and Scoot Mcnairy) logic dictates that it must be him playing games again, and his superiors send a merry troupe of thugs to find him. The matter is overseen by Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt) a slick, sophisticated killer who prefers to 'kill them softly', in other words, from a distance and with little pleading or fuss. He is employed by "" (an awesome Richard Jenkins), a businessman sort who isn't above haggling for the price of a killer's contract down to the very last dime. You see, the film is set during the 2008 financial crisis, and Dominik takes every opportunity he can to fill his frames with debris, dereliction and strife. Even in a world of criminals the blow to the economy is felt, and they too must adjust accordingly. Cogan brings in outsider Mickey (James Gandolfini), an aging wash up who spends more time swearing , boozing and whoring up a storm than he does getting any work done. Gandolfini ingeniously sends up his capable Tony Soprano character with this bizarro world rendition on the Italian hoodlum, a fat, lazy layabout with bitter shades of the threatening figure he must once of been. Before all this happens, though, we are treated to extended interludes spent with Mendelsohn and Mcnairy, and they both knock it out of the park with their shambling, sweaty, reprehensible presence. Mendelsohn is endlessly watchable, muttering his slovenly dialogue through a curtain of heroin and sleaze. Watch for a tiny, super random cameo from Sam Shepherd as a thug who hassles Liotta. There's a beatdown sequence, and you'll know when it comes, that pushes the limits to extremes. Every punch is felt like a meteor landing, leaving the victim and the viewer aghast. Dominik never throws gimmicks into his work here. Every scene is insistently unique, and the real hero is pacing. The film moves in fits, starts and eruptions with long flatlines in between, until our instinctual knowledge of a narrative truly is lost to the story, with no idea what will happen next. Genius.

jameslinton-75252 This film could have been so good. It has Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini and Ray Liotta in main roles, but it never really came together. I was vastly disappointed when I watched this.Firstly, I was severely disappointed with Gandolfini's contribution who hardly appears in this film, despite being a phenomenal actor who was one reason why the Sopranos was so good.I also felt that the film tried way too hard in being arty and the time and effort it put into this could have been better spent elsewhere.Maybe I'm being unfair, this film wasn't all bad. It was funny at times. It made me laugh on occasion. Once or twice. Once.Read my full review here: http://goo.gl/pFHffd

Screen_Blitz This neo-noir crime-thriller, directed by Andrew Dominik and based on the novel 'Cogan's Trade' by George V. Higgins follows a story set in the fall of 2008 during the American financial crisis and the presidential election campaign, of Johnny Amato (played by Vincent Curatola) who hires two amateur criminals Frankie (played by Scott McNairy) and Russell (played by Ben Mendelsohn) to assist in a robbery of an illegal poker game run by Markie Trattman (played by Ray Liotta). After successful pulling off the robbery, Ben and Russell kidnap Markie and brutally dispatch him. This gains the attention of mafia ambassador Driver (played by Richard Jenkins) who hires local hit-man Jackie Cogan (played by Brad Pitt) to go after the criminals and bring them in the justice.The title derives from the main character's unique way of taking down the bad guys. This movie is definitely no instant classic nor does it try to be, it manages to stand tall above its flaws. Brad Pitt is brilliant as ever, and his portrayal in the main role is deeply engrossing enough to keep viewers attention. Ray Liotta who is well known for his performance in the classic crime-drama 'Goodfellas' finds his time to shine here as well. Both these actors manage to stand out from its slow paced plot. The story begins with a promise and the characters remain solid upon introduction. The main flaw, however, comes from the slow pacing of the plot. The film starts at a solid pace and brings fair interest to the characters and the themes of economic collapse including political commentary on the 2008 presidential election campaign when Barack Obama was running for his first term. The idea of the plot is a robbery of a poker game involving illegal gambling to bring down the criminal economy, and the concept is best stated by one of the character's quotes "America is not the country, its a business". The whole concept however, is a bit confusing and somewhat hard to follow. These flaws though, are made up by some incredibly performances by the cast and great cinematography, and an okay direction by Andrew Dominik. Some scenes work well and generate plenty of suspense, others not so much.Killing Them Softly, thought suffering from pacing issues, stands as a firm neo-noir thriller. This is not a film that will appeal to everyone and certainly not appeal to every Brad Pitt fan, but it is worth watching. Just don't go into this movie expecting something like Scarface or Goodfellas, otherwise you will likely be disappointed.