KILLING THEM SOFTLY

Director Andrew Dominik (Chopper, The Assassination of Jesse James…) re-teams with Brad Pitt for Killing Them Softly, an artfully crafted crime drama set amidst the financial crisis and the 2008 US presidential election. Incensed by a daring raid on a mob-protected card game, the New Orleans criminal fraternity hire a callous enforcer (Pitt) to track-down and eliminate a trio of small-time crooks who’ve bitten off more than they can chew. Punctuated by excessive brutality, and peppered with political sound bites, Killing Them Softly suggests the American Dream is a great, big fallacy … or, at the very least, that crime doesn’t pay (well, not in this economy). The film’s cynical tone, off-colour humour and didacticism won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but most viewers will appreciate its stunning cinematography, palpable tension and top-notch cast, which includes Ben Mendelsohn (Animal Kingdom) as a grimy degenerate who steals almost every scene he’s in. Unsettling and sobering, but never less than mesmerising. (JH) ***½