Killing Them Softly (2012)

Jackie Cogan is an enforcer hired to restore order after three dumb guys rob a Mob protected card game, causing the local criminal economy to collapse.

Director:

Andrew Dominik

Writers:

Andrew Dominik (screenplay), George V. Higgins (based on the novel "Cogan's Trade" by)

Stars:

Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta, Richard Jenkins

3 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brad Pitt	...	Jackie
Scoot McNairy	...	Frankie
Ben Mendelsohn	...	Russell
James Gandolfini	...	Mickey
Richard Jenkins	...	Driver
Vincent Curatola	...	Johnny Amato
Ray Liotta	...	Markie Trattman
Trevor Long	...	Steve Caprio
Max Casella	...	Barry Caprio
Sam Shepard	...	Dillon
George Carroll	...	Kenny Gill (as Slaine)
Linara Washington	...	Hooker
Ross Brodar	...	Poker Guy
Wade Allen	...	Business Suit Agent
Christopher Berry	...	Cab Driver Agent

Storyline

Three amateurs stickup a Mob protected card game, causing the local criminal economy to collapse. Brad Pitt plays the hitman hired to track them down and restore order.

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Plot Keywords:

nihilism | neo noir | hitman | poker game | southern gothic | 

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Taglines:

In America you're on your own

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, sexual references, pervasive language, and some drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Turkish former minister of culture found the movie so offensive that he told the press that he wanted the age bar for this movie to be raised from 13 to 18 or, if possible, remove it from the theaters altogether.

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Goofs

In the bar scene with Jackie and Mickey, the drinks on the table seem to be constantly changing. The levels in the glasses change, the number of glasses on the table change and the arrangement of the glasses change.

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Quotes

Jackie Cogan: They cry, they plead, they beg, they piss themselves, they cry for their mothers. It gets embarrassing. I like to kill 'em softly. From a distance

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Connections

Featured in Bad Movie Beatdown: Review of 2012 (2013)

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Soundtracks

Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries
Written by Lew Brown and Ray Henderson
Performed by Jack Hylton and His Orchestra

User Reviews

Starts well, then collapses under the weight of its own self satisfaction

This is a film that looks outstanding. It has that feel of the best seventies cinema. The acting similarly is outstanding but still, a few things stop it from being the stone cold classic it could have been.

The cracks started to show when Cogan(Pitt) has his first talk with Mickey(Gandolfini). It's the latest in a long series of head to heads that play out more like acting master-classes than anything relating to the film. That scene effectively breaks the spell and reminds us that we are watching "good quality acting" combined with "a good script".

The film seems to go off the rails after this. Any charm or involvement is soon stopped by another showy scene from the director who seems more concerned with showing off his film making skills than actually making a good film.

The final thing that jars is Brad Pitt. He had the same effect on Fight Club. Pitt is too big a star for a film like this. He simply doesn't convince as the cynical cold blooded killer. Why would such a man spend that much time on his physical appearance for instance?. A more earthy, hard boiled actor could have made the character believable.

Not a bad film but overbearingly condescending at the finale (which I won't spoil here). The film that went before doesn't earn that pay off and its impact isn't felt on the screen. Which makes the end deeply unsatisfying.

Shame really as with more editing and less egos involved, this could have been so much better.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 November 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cogan's Trade

Filming Locations:

Claiborne Avenue Bridge, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,812,900, 2 December 2012

Gross USA:

$15,026,056

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$37,930,465

Company Credits

Production Co:

Plan B Entertainment, 1984 Private Defense Contractors, Annapurna Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 150 min (rough cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1