“Killing Them Softly” (2012)
“America’s not a country. It’s just a business”.
Last evening, 19th January 2023, I had the twisted pleasure in finally seeing Blonde, Andrew Dominik’s latest cinematic offering and a bleak, dark, brutal depiction of the unfairly short life of Marilyn Monroe. I now have a page of notes to transcribe into a vaguely coherent review and when complete, I’ll release this hot on the heels of my thoughts on Andrew’s second film The Assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford and now here his third film, Killing Them Softly.
By way of a brief introduction to the New Zealand born filmmaker’s third film, I’m writing this exactly a decade and a handful of days on from my original review and the recurring themes are alarming to say the least. Government spending, the “business” of war, societal decay, a “choice” of two colours from a One Party rainbow, and yet another bailing out of an institution dealing in financial make believe fairy dust. The coming plague has come and gone apparently, but the plague of a fractured society driven to deadly desperation is never going away.
Everything is a business transaction and disaster capitalism is the real plague on humanity.
In Memoriam, and thanks for the cinematic memories
Ray Liotta (1954–2022)
James Gandolfini (1961–2013)
“America’s not a country. It’s just a business”.
The opening 15 minutes of this latest Andrew Dominik feature is a bizarre, surreal and odd mix that purposely sets the scene for this flawed yet deeply interesting and intriguing thriller. The opening credits themselves are quickly edited amongst the opening scene of an obscured man walking to the entrance of a tunnel, captured in slow motion, the mouth of the tunnel is more in focus, and of the rubbish strewn all over the floor and in the distance, fluttering on the breeze. Accompanying this dark opening is a similarly dark and foreboding musical score scattered amongst the similarly scattered scenes (and indeed the rubbish) which is eerily similar in tone to the score from Ben Wheatley’s brilliant Kill List. Barely one minute into the film, and the scene has been well and truly set.
Also scattered amongst the very early scenes is a speech from yet to be installed USA President Barack Obama, crudely spliced amongst the rubbish and opening credits and our as yet unseen male figure. This is also very much a scene setter as throughout the film, in every vehicle, every bar, on every television, there is a seeming running commentary from either Barack Obama, George Bush or political commentators discussing the financial plight of the United States of America. This also sets the timeline for the film at the handover between Presidents Bush and Obama of 2008/9 but even more significant in line with recent events (I am writing this on Saturday 5th January 2013) is the parallel between today’s events and the continual mooting of a “Fiscal Cliff” and the real life events as depicted and shown in every bar, heard on every television in the film: the financial crisis that happened just four years ago. Then, as with now, the country stood at a precipice, or a cliff to use today’s anaemic language. Then, Bush is warning about banks being unable to open and of full scale financial panic unless they are bailed out. Today, the situation is similar and in my opinion, gravely and deliberately worse.
The cynic in me suggests this will happen again in another four years, and another four years, for that is the circle of life, of history repeating itself, the repeating actions of nations spiralling out of control, debt ridden and desperate. And therein lies a huge metaphor for this film. Whilst the country itself is spiralling out of control, unable to control debt or spending, or social welfare or even dare I say it, the most basic of human compassion, that is reflected back in some of it’s citizens. Not the majority but the marginalised and desperate. The film draws a compelling argument for this throughout, as the film continues with a running background commentary from the outgoing and incoming Presidents, and of the financial challenges ahead.
The end to the opening scene encapsulates all of this and more perfectly. Now with a full on zoom camera on the face of the still unnamed man, a cigarette dangling from his mouth and looking dishevelled and dirty, the camera slows to a slow motion shot of him, the rubbish still fluttering on the breeze around him and a billboard above his head of John McCain “Keeping America Strong” next to Barack Obama and his eponymous, vacuous “Change”. It’s apt, scene setting and mood evoking.
The unnamed man is “Frankie” (Scoot McNairy) and accompanied by his best friend “Russell” (Ben Mendelsohn) they are offered an opportunity of “doing a job” for “Johnny Amato” (Vincent Curatola), however Johnny is far from impressed by Russell’s appearance and demeanour. Russell is equally as dishevelled and dirty as his best friend Frankie but the teasing foreplay and banter between the three is eventually broken by a frustrated Russell “I thought he wanted to do us a favour! Is that the straight shit squirrel? You trying to do us a favour?”. This simple three character scene is reprised later when further details are given of the job itself, to “knock over” or steal the cash from a cash game of cards run by “Markie Trattman” (Ray Liotta).
Sandwiched in the middle is a further bizarre and surreal scene of the two best friends meeting to discuss the offer from Johnny Amato. With a rolling camera we follow Russell, still dirty and dishevelled, walking his dog and eating an ice cream seemingly alone. The background of dilapidated houses, depression and litter everywhere mirrors that of the foreground and Russell’s continued walk. Still with a rolling camera but now from a slightly different and wider angle we see his friend Frankie awaiting him, bizarrely and randomly standing on top of a disused bar stool, cigarette constantly dangling from his mouth. Once together, a simple scene ensues of minimal cameras, with a zoom on each character as their conversation veers from the job, drugs, sex and dogs. It’s a random, awkward conversation, all with a backdrop of another Obama campaign poster over the shoulder of Russell, but just out of focus, with the scene ending as bizarre as the scene itself with the two friends walking away from each in opposite directions captured on a longer distance camera shot that remains long after the characters have departed, fully depicting the decrepit surrounds in which they’ve had this exchange.
Following a series of narrated flashbacks (including a fantastic yet brief Ray Liotta plays madman scene!), the opening 15 minutes draws to a close following yet another surreal and bizarre conversation between Frankie and Russell as they drive towards the job they have now accepted. Reprising their earlier conversation in many ways, this particular conversation is even more grotesque than their previous one, but does narratively give far more flavour for both their backgrounds, their future intentions and many nods to their predicaments both past, present and future. The conversation veers toward darkly comedic which the film needs at this point and once arrived at their destination and checking their poorly thought out equipment for the job, Frankie tellingly states “We’re gonna look like a bunch of fucking amateurs”. They enter a dark, dank and drab tunnel towards a disused building to begin their job.
Aside from the aforementioned talented cast, there are four further important roles of note. Sam Shepard plays a short cameo as “Dillon”, as does the brilliant Richard Jenkins as “The Driver”. James Gandolfini plays “Mickey” with more than a touch of the absurd and frankly bizarre, but the performance is pitch perfect and all the better for Gandolfini’s bizarre portrayal. There is one further important role of note, however before I appraise this more fully below it is perhaps prescient to return to the characters mentioned in the opening fifteen minutes. The four key roles are split, with Ray Liotta and Vincent Curatola purely supporting those of Scoot McNairy and Ben Mendelsohn. In support, Liotta is superb as the risk taking, on edge Markie Trattman. His brief “madman” scene is pure Liotta at his over the top, scene stealing best. Curatola dominates as the job giving boss, however it’s Scoot McNairy and Ben Mendelsohn who really shine. Both on edge, living day to day, their individual desperate needs almost melt into each other, mirroring the other’s personality both for good and bad. Both performances are simply stunning.
But the marquee name is of course Brad Pitt.
“Jackie” (Brad Pitt) Entering the film to the strains of Johnny Cash’s “When the Man Comes Around”, this is brilliantly used as Jackie is in effect in town to “close” issues, sweep up problems, collect his money and move on. A gun for hire to protect Mafia interests and silence critics. A matter of fact enforcer, Jackie dominates every conversation with a constant detachment, totally in control of every situation yet equally distant from it. Prophesying perhaps “There’s a plague coming” the analogy itself is not lost. Jackie is well aware of the world, his place in it and how he can prosper. Not Pitt’s strongest performance but he does dominate the screen well, if a little “coasting” at times.
With a constant, recurring and obvious analogy of societal and financial breakdown in America, this is clearly a critique, and one could argue a very firm critique of monetary capitalism in America. The film is soaked in this theme of financial despair and anxiety, of a political system that preaches togetherness, one large inclusive for all society, and of “Change”. Even the unseen Mafia are described as a “Corporate” body now!
The Director’s camera work here is sublime at times, with long twisting shots, moving cameras and some fantastic slow motion cameras capturing “Bullet time” if you will, many exchanges and conversations (a drug induced hazy and bizarre conversation and a balletic style assassination are two fantastic examples). In a film where a good proportion of the scenes are simple talking heads scenes (especially within the confines of a cramped car), the Director’s camera work and the many oblique angles and frames used are the real highlight as they really catch the eye.
Darkly comedic at times and all the better for it, the violence is prolonged, very graphic, brutal and very zoomed in at times. There are hints at or obvious examples of heavy drug use, with the above referenced scene a disturbingly funny joy to watch. Greig Fraser (Director of Photography) and Brian Kates (Editing) deserve special praise however there is no Musical Director noted, so I’m unable to note the special praise deserved here, for the soundtrack is a joy all on it’s own. From Johnny Cash’s “The Man Comes Around” to “Life is a bowl of cherries”, “Love Letters” and two from Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground. An eclectic, yet brilliant mix. The soundtrack is highly recommended!
As is the film. Not flawless, but 97 minutes of dark intrigue, shocking violence and a brutal attack on disaster capitalism. A film very much of it’s time. Any time.
Thanks for reading. Just for larks as always, and always a human reaction rather than spoilers galore. My three most recently published film articles are linked below or there’s well over 200 blog articles (with 400+ individual film reviews) within my archives from which to choose:
