“This guy wants to tell me we’re living in a community. Don’t make me laugh. I’m living in America, and in America you’re on your own. America’s not a country. It’s just a business. Now fucking pay me”.

What a way to end a film. The most suave man known to mortals, finishes out this classic style crime film with such a line. Andrew Dominik’s ‘Killing Them Softly’ (2012) is one of those crime films that I watched when I was too young to be watching movies like this, yet it shaped my way of watching gangster pictures. Sure this doesn’t hold up to the pictures of ‘Goodfellas’ (1990) or ‘Casino’ (1995) but for a more contemporary look at the genre, this is not half bad. The cast is killer and the script is tight and smart. I really think this film can’t fall into the lost archives of film, because it is truly a gem. 

The synopsis I took away from ‘Killing Them Softly’ (2012) is there is a brutality in the American system that shapes and hardens men like this. Obviously the ending line is a dead giveaway on what the film is trying to say, but I never really picked it all up until I got older. There is an ugliness to the world as this film shows, where fairness does not always play into it. There is definitely a negative look on America in this film, and I’m not really sure why the point is being made. However, though it’s an understandable cause to show in your movie, it doesn’t become as heavy handed as other filmmakers would do. 

Brad Pitt has always been the guru of being cool, and even once he hit the 2010’s, he still carried that mantle. Pitt has always had different styles he would go through, with the rugged look, the dashing look, or a look like this. He manages to pull them all off, and it’s fun to see how he does it. In this film, Pitt manages to turn on a mean and more dangerous side of him, while still be the cigarette smoking cool guy we all knew. He brings the charm, and he’s still hilarious at times, but that’s doesn’t change the fact how brutal he really is in the film. Being surrounded by names like James Gandolfini, and Ray Liotta is tough to match their energy. With a calming hand and a stern attitude, Pitt manages to out perform everyone on screen. 

Gangster movies have been around for decades and decades. Being popularized in the 1930’s with some classics like ‘The Public Enemy’ (1931), ‘Little Caesar’ (1931), and ‘Scarface’ (1932). Of course, ‘White Heat’ (1949) came along years later and changed it all up. Once the 1970’s hit, it was all in swing. ‘The Godfather’ (1972), ‘Mean Streets’ (1973), and ‘The Friends Of Eddie Coyle’ (1973). Movies today try and replicate the tones and ideas from these movies in the past, and it never works. That’s why I think ‘Killing Them Softly’ (2012) works so well. It takes contemporary issues and plays it out like it’s an old gangster picture. The style and the crime is all still there, and it leads to a great story overall. 

Andrew Dominik directs this picture with great success, and though not many might know his name, he is absolutely one to look out for. With movies like ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (2007) and ‘Blonde’ (2022) in his filmography, it’s no doubt he is one complex director. Love his work or hate it, you must admit he is one talented artists. I didn’t even mention his work with my favorite musical artist, Nick Cave, in two films, ‘One More Time With Feeling’ (2016), and ‘This Much I Know To Be True’ (2022). Dominik crafts some incredible works of art on screen, and they are all so different each time. I look forward to any films he brings out in the future. 

I still love this picture very much, and even after some years since I’ve seen it, I realized I knew I was right for enjoying this. ‘Killing Them Softly’ (2012) is just another example of Brad Pitt’s class in the acting world, even if the movie isn’t massive. The whole story has so much to say about contemporary life, and understanding in the look of politics in our society. The film isn’t perfect, but it’s a tight story that has a lot of meaning to it. If you haven’t gotten around to seeing ‘Killing Them Softly’ (2012) yet, I highly suggest you put down what you’re doing, and experience some true indie cinema.