|
|
| KILLING THEM SOFTLY
(director/writer: Andrew Dominik;
screenwriter: from the novel "Cogan's
Trade" by George V. Higgins; cinematographer: Greig
Fraser; editors: John Paul Horstmann/Brian
A. Kates; music: Rachel Fox; cast: Brad
Pitt (Jackie Cogan), Scoot McNairy (Frankie), Ben
Mendelsohn (Russell), Richard Jenkins (Driver,
lawyer), James Gandolfini (Mickey), Ray Liotta (Markie
Trattman), Vincent Curatola (Johnny Amato), Slaine
(Kenny Gill), Max Casella (Barry Caprio), Trevor Long
(Steve Caprio), Sam Shepard (Dillon); Runtime: 97;
MPAA Rating: R; producer: Brad Pitt/Paula Mae
Schwartz/Anthony Katagas/Steve Schwartz/Dede
Gardner; the Weinstein Company; 2012) "Routine crime drama made gripping by effective acting, great characterizations and a snappy dialogue like in Pulp Fiction." Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz New
Zealander filmmaker Andrew Dominik ("The
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert
Ford "/"Chopper") writes and helms this
routine crime drama made gripping by effective acting,
great characterizations and a snappy dialogue
like in Pulp Fiction. The film plays out as a talky
derivative film noir, that follows the devious
but smooth hitman protagonist, Jackie (Brad Pitt),
around as he fulfills his killing contract for a mob
run like a corporation, and in the end tells us
"America is not a country, it's a business." It's based on former longtime Boston prosecuting attorney George V. Higgins' 1974 Boston-set novel, "Cogan's Trade," that is relocated for the flick to Louisiana and reset in the weeks just before the 2008 presidential election between Senator Obama and Senator McCain, with the country at the beginning point of financial collapse caused by Wall Street crooked dealings. President Bush and Senator Obama are on TV throughout making speeches about what is their kind of America, which the film-maker finds to be disingenuous in both cases. Higgins other book that scored highly when filmed was The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973). The
middle-aged pudgy small-fry criminal Johnny
Amato (Vincent Curatola) cooks up a scheme to knock
off a mob-protected private big stake card game run by
small-time mobster Markie Trattman (Ray
Liotta), who fessed up to once knocking off his own
card game but was given a pass because he was in
with the mob. Johnny hires two dumb young losers to
stick-up the players, the strung-out from heroin
mouthy Aussie named Russell
(Ben Mendelsohn) and
small-time impoverished crook Frankie
(Scoot McNairy). The bumbling duo gets away with
the stick-up, and the fiscal-minded, uptight mob
middleman (Richard Jenkins) is
sent by his bosses the pragmatic and efficient
Jackie Cogan to take care of the robbers. Jackie
says "I like to kill 'em softly -- from
a distance," and recommends immediately knocking off
Markie to gain confidence with their card players as a
PR move even if it's clear he's innocent. But the
middleman, always meeting the hitman in his car,
expresses the desire of his bosses to administer
instead a mild beating and pursue the real culprits.
Jackie argues that it would be more merciful to kill
Markie without the beating, since he'll have to be
killed anyway to protect the integrity of the game. The beatings and killings all
come with haggling from all parties concerned,
something Dominik excels in by making
all the hitman contract negotiations quite delectable
in the interplay between the odd characters. When
contentious slob veteran NY hitman Mickey (James
Gandolfini) is brought to New Orleans to do a hit, at
a higher fee than the standard, things get
even funnier as the killer loses his edge as a hitman
over a drinking and prostitute binge and Jackie has to
do his job.
The crime story is filmed as a parable of what is taking place in the business world and on the street in contemporary America, comparing gangsters to bankers as possibly one and the same. It's a film not suited for all tastes, but I found it to be a modern-day film noir treat. REVIEWED ON 12/1/2012 GRADE: B+ Dennis Schwartz: "Ozus' World Movie Reviews" © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DENNIS SCHWARTZ |