Killing Them Softly

Which elements fuse together in order to create a good movie? I threw myself into the cinema this Monday and I happened to stumble across a specimen that I believe is testament to good movie making. From what I know, and let me just reiterate my lack of professional experience and therefore understanding, it basically comes down to a handful of things:

Number one:

Sound – basic human physiology would have my back when I say that the better something sounds (clarity, variety, and musicality), the better our response…simple.

Number two:

Script – since the dawn of Marlon Brando, and his charming ‘method’, naturalism is key in the dialogue of a film simply because without it, we don’t accept it, and if we don’t accept it… it isn’t believed and therefore (more often than not) enjoyed. Throw a joke or two in the mix, maybe jerk and tear or two, but keep the script interesting and keep it relative.

Number 3:

Visual – it’s the reason we watch film, the reason we make film. The visual component of a screen experience is the first thing you attach to memory, it’s the impression of the film that will last the longest and it’s the element that’s going to take a well written and awesome sounding story to a beautifully high standard.

Keeping those ingredients in mind let me discuss with you Killing Them Softly, the third success story from New Zealand born director Andrew Dominik. With Chopper (2000) and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) under his belt, Dominik is no stranger to big stories and big names.

Killing Them Softly is the story of a small time crook, his minions, their heist, and the bloody aftermath that follows. Sound interesting yet? Well… let me tell you – it’s damn interesting.

           

So basically the story flows as a two-parter. The first follows crook, Johnny Amato (Vincent Curatola) and loyal crony, Frankie (Scoot McNairy) and their plan to rob a mob run poker game with hopes that the card playing gangsters pin the crime on game organizer Markie Trattman (Ray Liota), due to his previous history of scheming the players out of money. It is a little complicated at first! Frankie brings in drug-using, dog abusing Aussie larrikin Russell (Ben Mendelsohn) to assist him with the crime. The two, after a torturously intense heist scene, make it out with the money. Bring on part two and enter Jackie Coogan, not surprisingly played by Brad Pitt. His job: ‘deal with’ those responsible.

I had no expectations of this film when I entered that cinema, I was actually just killing time and Killing Them Softly turned out to have shortest running time, so naturally I bought a ticket. THANK GOD I DID!

This film is different from any gang related, whack-fest movie reason being because of its beauty in sound, script and visual components (remember our ingredients?). The cinematography, accredited to Aussie’s own Greig Fraser, is sensual and captivating. Each frame is smooth and charismatic, and he does a beautiful job of echoing the characteristics of the men we see, through the means with which we see them. The standout of the film though is the sound design. The film is drenched with American Pop and Rock’n’Roll classics, always played at the most unlikely of times, as well as (interestingly) speeches from the 2008 presidential campaign. The film’s themes surround America’s most recent economic turmoil and therefore duly allow for George W. Bush and Obama to play as a constant soundtrack throughout.

  
The ensemble gathered for this film is inspired. Ben Mendelsohn as the drug obsessed Russell is a refreshing point of difference for this gritty thriller that, I believe, allows for a wider audience appeal. Pitt is solid, as is James Gandolfini, as import hitman, and McNairy as the morally conflicted Frankie. 

Like I said, this film is different, and god damn it’s interesting…no no…captivating. If you’re in the mood for intelligent thriller with a refreshing 97-minute running time, then look no further. I may go as far as saying it’s my favourite film of the year.