Review of What Doesn't Kill You (2008) by Tomas T — 02 Jul 2010
What Doesn't kill you is a non-groundbraking criminal drama overall, but the better than average acting raises the movie from mediocrity. Storywise the movie does not invent anything new, it tells a tale of friends growing up in the midst of criminality where they inevitably are steered towards the shady lifestyle. Script is basic enough, it follows the full lifecycle of the friends through the "happy times" and the predictable degredation of their lives towards the end where they end up struggling to survive in a world they no longer fit.
The somewhat slow pace of the movie is fitting where the explosive violent impulses of the leads prevent the movie from turning into a monotonic churn forward. Good actors choices are the key here, M.Ruffalo and Ethan Hawke are actors not seen in block busters but they show their potential in What Doesn't Kill You. Ruffalo being a man who constantly battles with his conscience to justify his criminal deeds where Hawke is the more emotionless bad guy who takes what he wants and needs without negotiations.
The movie is good, however it would have easily been great with more interesting script.
This review of What Doesn't Kill You (2008) was written by Tomas T on 02 Jul 2010.
What Doesn't Kill You has generally received mixed reviews.
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