Killing Them Softly

‘Killing them Softly’ — outrageously unpleasant

The tagline for Killing Them Softly – Three dumb guys who think they’re smart rob a Mob protected card game, causing the local criminal economy to collapse – pretty much says it all about this film. The script is mundane, the characters are all so sleazy they deserve everything that happens to them, and the dialogue so full of profanity it’s a tune-out through and through.

Probably the only reason the film received a green light is because of its all-star cast – Richard Jenkins, James Gandolfini, Ray Liotta, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, and Sam Shepard.

Based on the crime novel by George V. Higgins Cogan’s Trade, the story is simple. Markie (Liotta) runs an elite game room where mobsters routinely congregate. One night he gets a brave idea to plan a robbery and steal all of their money. He’s so proud of himself that he later tells the guys he was the one that set it up.

Naturally, many don’t think this is funny. When word about it gets around it gives – Frankie (Scoot McNairy) and Russell (Ben Mendelsohn) the idea to repeat the robbery. They’re sure everyone will think it was Markie again. Johnny Amato (Vincent Curatola), joins the two thugs and when Markie is questioned by mobsters to reveal who took the money, Markie is almost beaten to death.

So what does Brad Pitt do in this film? He plays Jackie, an enforcer who works through the mob go-between, Driver (Richard Jenkins). Basically when the mob hits aren’t gruesome enough, Jackie steps in to “lightly” kill them. His lightly is more relatable to that of a serial killer. Pitt does little for this film other than lend his name and Jenkins is a terrible miscast here.

Two other things plagued me about the movie. Nearly every other word is profanity. I remember a teacher in college explained that people who overuse profanity just don’t know any other words to express what they want to say. Yet as a police officer we learned the louder, more aggressive and the more profanity one used would get more results. Still, even if you say words like “it’s an orange” or a string of foul words over and over, listeners tune out. So what’s the point other than irritating viewers?

Besides also being very gruesome, the other infuriating inclusion in this film is many, many clips of presidents delivering speeches about things wrong with the country and pointing fingers. Obviously the thugs in the bars and games rooms where these played throughout the film weren’t paying attention to these speeches, so why should moviegoers have to?

Setting through this gloomy film was an unpleasant waste of time, although I did enjoyLiotta’s performance.

Killing Them Softly

Studio: Weinstein

Gazette Grade: D

MPAA: “R”
for violence, strong pervasive language, sexual references, drug use

Who Should Go: Those who enjoy gruesome violence