Review of Killing Them Softly (2012) by Mark D — 15 Sep 2013

This was a very...different...movie. Very stylistic and deliberate. I could understand why some people may not like it, and I'm still not even sure if I did.

Pitt is awesome here as the hitman out to kill the low rent criminals who dared to rob a mob card game. He's very disciplined and menacing, but also very human. Hence the movie title Pitts character explains:

"I like to kill them softly, from a distance. Up close they cry and beg and piss themselves. It gets emotional and messy.".

I don't quite know why James Gandolfini's character was even in the movie, as all he did was fill up space. I guess his presence allowed us to get to know Jackie better, but that could have been done without him.

On top of all this, we have the message. We get to hear both Bush and Obama talk about the economy, and how hard things are, but also how kick ass America is in spite of it all. Jackie gives an awesome response in regards to Thomas Jefferson that I'd rather not spoil.

With this as a backdrop to mobs and murder, this is a very dark and cynical movie. It probably wasn't the best movie to watch right after End of Watch, but that's how they were sent to me. Between these two movies I saw far too much gritty and realistic violence over the course of 3 nights.

This is the type of movie that may benefit from repeat viewings, but I don't do that. Still, I see what they we're going for, and it certainly left me thinking.