Film Review: "Killing Them Softly" (2012).

"In America you're on your own" in Killing Them Softly. This neo-noir crime film adapted and directed by Andrew Dominik, and based on George V. Higgins' novel Cogan's Trade (1974). When three men rob a card game run by Markie Trattman, he vows to get his money back and calls Jackie, a professional enforcer, to investigate the case.

In November 2010, the project was first announced, with the original title Cogan's Trade, when Brad Pitt was reported to be in talks to star in it. Pitt was approached by Dominik to star as Jackie Cogan. Production was scheduled to begin in Louisiana in March 2011, with pre-production beginning in January. By late February, Sam Shepard, Ray Liotta, Richard Jenkins, James Gandolfini, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, Vincent Curatola, and Max Casella rounded out the film's cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced, and took place throughout New Orleans, Louisiana. The film was shot on film and was the first to shoot on Kodak's 500T 5230 film stock.

The film stars Pitt, Shepard, Liotta, Jenkins, Gandolfini, McNairy, Mendelsohn, Curatola, and Casella. Thanks to the performances given by the cast, this is the kind of picture that isn't afraid to put its characters under a microscope, and it knows that studying their psychology is far more rewarding than studying their gun-slinging skills.

On the strength of its two lead performances Killing Them Softly is an expertly crafted period piece, and an insightful look at one of the enduring figures of American lore. Stunning visuals, award-worthy performances, and a script that takes incredibly rewarding risks, the film is a masterpiece and one of the best films of the year. If I were inclined to wheel out clichés like 'Oscar-worthy', I'd certainly wheel them out in support of this movie, on several counts. Impeccably shot, cast and directed, this is a truly impressive film from Dominik. But suffers from an unfortunate case of elephantiasis. Dominik seems so in love with his languorous pacing, he's incapable of cutting the five or ten seconds in any number of scenes that could have given the film a more manageable running time. In the scheme of things, however, this amounts to little more than a quibble. Imperfect, beautiful, overloaded and redundant, it is one of those films that will still be remembered and analyzed in ten years. The film is an engrossing and hypnotic neo-noir crime film that places a heavy emphasis on atmosphere, character and reality. Dominik takes his time with the story, but his languorous pacing allows tension to build -- and permits the actors, Affleck in particular, to add nuance and depth to characters who'll seem familiar only at first glance. Even though the film looks beautiful there are things that rubbed me the wrong way. The film is a throwback to another time when films were allowed to be unhurried, when audiences trusted multiple story lines to converge
organically, and time and place were evoked with consummate craft.

Simon says Killing Them Softly receives: