Genre: Crime, Mobs, Gangs and Lackies
Rating: MA15+ 97’ Strong violence, drug use, sexual references and coarse language
Cast: Brad Pitt (Moneyball, Fight Club), Ray Liotta (Goodfellas), Ben Mendelsohn (Animal Kingdom), Richard Jenkins (Burn After Reading, Step Brothers), Scoot McNairy (Monsters), James Gandolfini (In the Loop)
Director: Andrew Dominik (Chopper, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford)
Adapted from George V. Higgins novel and set in New Orleans.
A small time criminal tells the story of Markie who organised a heist of his own local mob-protected poker game. Pocketing a large amount, he layed low...well, for a while at least and there's nothing worse than getting a little carried away with the conversation after a skinful. With his story now in the open and a few years past, our small timer decides it's time to take advantage of the situation and arranges two even smaller time criminals to rob another of Markie's card game knowing the mob will presume it was Markie again. A top mob enforcer has been called in to investigate and his instructions are quite clear about what to do with those involved but, Jackie prefers to take his victims out with subtelty.
"Dominik keeps us off-balance with an unexpected structure, which gives the film an exhilaratingly offbeat rhythm" Rich Cline
"It is outstandingly watchable, superbly and casually pessimistic, a world of slot-mouthed professional and semi-professional criminals always complaining about cleaning up the mess made by other screwups." Peter Bradshaw UK Guardian
"Killing Them Softly is a brutal and sublimely crafted thriller, elevated by a stalwart ensemble and an insightful, timely social commentary" Will Chadwick