Thursday 4 October 2012

Other Media - Killing Them Softly

Look at Brad Pitt's right hand. That's been on Jolie's boobs.

Killing Them  Softly is a film which has left me feeling slightly empty. Usually I come out of a cinema feeling either elated for having seen something brilliant that I can’t wait to tell everyone about, or full of horrible wanky scathing sarcasm that I can vent over the airwaves on Reprezent. This film though. It smacks of ‘meh’
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Set during the lowliest of the low points of economic downturn and to the soundtrack of speeches from the US Presidential elections of 2008, It tells the story of a pair of low rent criminals who are tasked by their boss to rob a high stakes poker game.  Trouble inevitably ensues, and various hitmen are called upon to murder various people in various ways over various days. Pretty standard stuff, and I guess that’s why I feel pretty underwhelmed by the whole thing. It’s not exactly territory that’s never been touched before, and the story seems like it should have a black comedy feel to it along the lines of Slevin or maybe even something Guy Ritchie threw together while not sweeping chimneys. It’s played so straight though that it’s almost disjointed – and while the film is really brilliantly directed (one death scene in particular is captivating. Who could have known a bullet to the face could look so appealing?) and every single performance is flawless, you just know what’s round the corner at every turn.

Look out for yet another brilliant performance from James Gandolfini as an alcoholic New York hitman struggling to get the job done due to his own demons - one of the 2 most interesting characters who are criminally underused. Other than that, will someone PLEASE throw a pie?

One word review: Craptacular

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