Review of Killing Them Softly (2012) by Adela M — 20 Apr 2013

Five years after making the poetic, but overlong Western "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," Australian filmmaker Andrew Dominick reunites with Brad Pitt to provide a unique take on the crime genre with "Killing Them Softly," a crime movie set in New Orleans during the economic downturn that occurred in 2008.

Dominick has assembled a fantastic ensemble that feature good performers playing crooked and flawed characters, especially Ben Menhelsohn as an Aussie dog-loving junkie and Richard Jenkins as Jackie's nameless bureaucratic Mob accountant.

Pitt embodies cool and swagger as the cold-blooded from the first time we see him as he is introduced on screen to the tune of Johnny Cash's "When the Man Comes Around" to his electrifying speech set against Barack Obama's election victory.

James Gandolfini delivers an impressive performance as Mickey, Jackie's sad-sack colleague/fellow hit-man he brings in to help him out. When it is not trying to provide some sort of social commentary, "Killing Them Softly" is a tough and stylish crime thriller that features a good screenplay and some great performances.