Killing Them Softly (2012)

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  TheMovieDiorama

  7 / 10

  Killing Them Softly utilises gritty violence as a political statement. Critics loved it, audiences felt indifferent and so I went in extremely open minded not knowing what to expect. I came out surprised, I wanted a decent crime thriller and I received a viscerally charged violent drama that contained all the excessive character dialogue from 'Pulp Fiction' mixed with some extreme gore. During America's recent economic recession, two guys are hired to steal money from an illegal poker game. In doing so, they have angered higher powers who send a hitman to to deal with the situation and find the men responsible. Immediately from the opening sequence, with the intrusive score and scene switching, I knew I was in for a different style of film. Dominik has an eye for stylising every sequence. A short car chase in the downpour of rain, panning through fireworks and smoke, an ultra slow motion shootout...perhaps slightly excessive however it never once let me go. The directing techniques take over and elevate a substandard crime thriller into a much more memorable flick. All the performances were great (particularly Gandolfini), portraying low-rent thugs and mobsters in a barren suburban environment. Which reminds me, the setting of America that is illustrated has never looked so bleak, it felt barren almost reminiscent of abandonment. Clearly an artistic choice to convey the political message that this drama is shrouded in. A statement or an attack, Dominik's screenplay unfortunately doesn't utilise the recession as a purpose for these characters. They aren't motivated because of the economic climate, more so that it's just a current situation that you acknowledge in the background. It's only really at its conclusion that the characters address Obama and his idealistic desire for unity. It just seemed like a wasted plot device. The pacing was slightly uneven also, infrequent violence could not balance out the sheer amount of dialogue which enhanced the character development. Despite these negatives, I thoroughly enjoyed this gritty crime thriller.

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