Killing Them Softly (2012)

Director: Andrew Dominik

The first thing to know about this film is that this is not really a film meant to entertain you, at least not in the conventional genre sort of way. It's technically a gangster film, but even fans of the gangster genre probably will be surprised (putting it gently) by this film. This is a political film about the Great Recession of 2008. I'm not saying that the subtext of this film is political, because the political elements are right there on the surface. Many critics complained that the movie made the political commentary way too obvious and hits the audience on the head, but I think director Andrew Dominik intended on first and foremost making the film as an allegory for our times, and not just a gangster film with subtle political commentary. But I do admit there may be other, and probably better, ways to do that besides inundating the sound mix with Obama and McCain campaign speeches on the radio or television. At the same time, that inundation is successful in making the audience always have the political edge at the forefront of their mind. This way we can make the connections that so much of the film stands in for different parts of our government and financial system, which is pretty important because the gangster story would not be engaging on its own without any of the political commentary.

The 2008 setting gives the film the right mood for this to happen as well. In the movie we've got criminals who put a hit out on a couple of guys who stole some money, and most of the movie is about the game that has to be played in trying to make sure the right people or the right message is sent out when it comes to punishing the people who stole. It's a smart allegory for the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis and how difficult it was to punish the Wall Street-types who were responsible for the collapse. The allegory is quite an impressive feat considering that the book Dominik adapted the movie from was written back in the 1970's, way before the 2008 recession. While ultimately the gangster story feels a bit slight and not quite as powerful as it could have been (though the gangster genre sets quite a high standard), Dominik crafts some spectacular scenes, including the creative opening credits, the brilliantly tense stick-up job at the center of the movie, and a great dope-smoking scene. Coming off the amazing The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford it's hard not to feel that Killing Them Softly is a bit of a step down, but Killing Them Softly is still a fantastic display of Dominik's talents on its own right.

Grade: B