Review of What Doesn't Kill You (2014) by Ken J — 31 Jul 2009

Brian (Mark Ruffalo) and Paulie (Ethan Hawke) are childhood friends in South Boston who grew up knowing nothing but the risky life of acting as muscle for a local small-time gangster. The brothers in crime soon realize that the principles of brotherhood and family taught to them throughout their adolescence are secondary to the almighty dollar. Brian and Paulie find themselves broke and desperate after serving a 5 year prison sentence for robbing a truck full of televisions. Paulie hatches a plan out of reckless desperation and Brian is faced with the decision of his life: gamble his freedom and family life for possible early retirement.

Ethan Hawke delivers the best performance of the film as he conveys the conflict raging in the psyche of Paulie. Many criminals operate on principle and Paulie is no exception. He often looks on Brian's wife and two sons with envious and saddened eyes but realizes that the roles of husband and father are beyond his abilities. He therefore continues his promiscuity unabated, anesthetizing himself with booze and anything in a miniskirt.

Mark Ruffalo does almost as well as Hawke but is limited somewhat by the screenplay. We see his crumbling family life and descent into drug abuse but aren't really allowed to understand why he chose (or stumbled onto) this path in his life. Brian's character is a complex one; it evokes images of Tom Joad: desperate to care for and protect those he loves but unable to do it without hurting them in the process.

All told the film is decent but really doesn't break any new ground. It's a story we've all heard before and an ending we've all seen before. Think "Dead Presidents" with a less painful ending and a white cast that can't pronounce the letter "R".