Killing Them Softly (2012): ***

Killing Them Softly opens with Frankie (Scoot McNairy) walking out a tunnel into the dusty lot, with litter swirling in the air. Crashing into this scene, along with the credits, are excerpts of a speech by Barack Obama given in the lead up to the 2008 Presidential Election. These snippets of political broadcasts and audio are a constant presence in Killing Them Softly, as we follow blundering criminals Frankie and Russell (Ben Mendelsohn) who rob a mob-backed poker game. The Mafia brings in hit-man Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt), and later Cogan’s associate Mickey (James Gandolfini), to take out those involved in the robbery. 

The film is steeped in moodiness. Louisiana is the beat-up and washed-out setting of Killing Them Softly, although there is not much indication that it is set in Louisiana.  The sky is either unbearably overcast or ripped open by lightning and rain. As neo-noirs go, Killing Them Softly does have a certain style, with its overlapping shots, slow-motion and smash-cuts; although at times Greig Fraser’s cinematography seems to be overcompensating. Dark humour and cynicism runs through the film’s veins, Jackie wants to start his work but is forced to wait for the bureaucratic mafia members to agree on the exact course of action. Jackie becomes frustrated, declaring there are no decision makers left anymore. 

Andrew Dominik’s decision to make an overt political statement, capitalism rules supreme and corrupts everything it touches, ultimately harms the film. The message is loud and clear, but there is little underneath it to substantiate it. There is certainly no solution, as Jackie spits out, ‘This country is fucked. There’s a plague coming’. If Dominik had put the politics to be background instead of the foreground, perhaps it would have been successful in its intention. 

There is some fairly solid acting in Killing Them Softly, from Ben Mendelsohn and James Gandolfini most noticeably. Mendelsohn’s Russell is cocky and self-assured, despite the fact he is a complete screw-up and self-destructive. James Gandolfini makes a welcome appearance as the washed up hit-man Mickey, on a self-medicated diet of booze and hookers to forget his past. Scoot McNairy is relatable as the struggling Frankie, who still tries to do the right thing, even when he’s involved in crime. Brad Pitt plays Jackie straight, although a little more spark from him would have been nice. Ray Liotta brings smugness and overconfidence to his character Markie, the man who runs the mob’s card game, before turning into a cowering wreck.        

If you can forgive the unsubtle political musings, Killing Them Softly is worth seeing for its brooding atmosphere and the solid acting.