With its focus on American capitalism played out in the mean streets of Boston, Killing Them Softly establishes itself as a new crime classic that is as thought provoking as it is visually and narratively absorbing.
WOW247: "Each Monday, film fan and champion of the downtrodden Jordan Sims picks out an overlooked gem – and gives them the spotlight they so dearly deserve.
"This week, it’s the turn of satirical crime drama Killing Them Softly. Here are five reasons why it’s an underrated classic."
The Playlist:
It seems that no matter how hard they try, Andrew Dominik and Brad Pitt can't get anyone to see their films. Their first collaboration, 2007's "The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford," suffered through a difficult editing process only to be indifferently released by Warner Bros. (Thankfully, it has attained cult status since, and is slated for a retrospective screening at the Museum Of The Moving Image in December.) Their second pair-up, 2012's "Killing Them Softly," did better commercially, but hardly the kind of blockbuster numbers one expects from a Brad Pitt movie opening in wide release (7th place in its first weekend, with a tepid $6 million) and critics found it hard to embrace the film's darkly funny, sour core. Their loss.
Give it a whirl below, followed by the official trailer that was used. Which do you prefer? And in case you're wondering, the song in the alternate cut is Petula Clark's "The Windmills Of Your Mind."
It's this movie that should have been angrier. It was too slow. Nothing happens.
Nicholas of Movies Hate You Too writes:
Last week featured a decent amount of 2012′s biggest award contenders; this week there’s only one big award film, but it’s one of the bigger films and not just because of the hat involved. Other new releases include a Brad Pitt disappointment, a film featuring a two stars who both look like they've had too much plastic surgery, and a horror sequel that no one seemed to be asking for. The list of catalog titles being released is almost as long as my arm; a relatively unpopular Star Trek series, some prehistoric releases, a couple cult classic horror titles, a baseball favorite, a plethora of cheap Miramax films, and a dump truck full of even cheaper double features (some good, many bad).
Lincoln was a one-time watch for me, but I definitely liked Killing them Softly, will pick it up sometime.
I really want to see Lincoln. I'm a little worried that the movie's highlight is Daniel Day-Lewis' performance and nothing much else though.
