Killing Them Softly
2012 · Directed by Andrew Dominik
Original language: English
- crime
- thriller
The story
Jackie Cogan is an enforcer hired to restore order after three dumb guys rob a Mob protected card game, causing the local criminal economy to collapse.
What it’s like
Washed-out, sun-bleached Louisiana-by-way-of-New-Orleans streets rendered in a dingy, low-saturated palette: rain-slick asphalt, fluorescent motel corridors, dim bars with stained carpet, and the flat grey-green light of an economy running on fumes. The camera is patient and deliberate, favouring long static takes and slow push-ins, with interior scenes often framed behind glass, through doorways, or in the reflections of car windows. Sound does much of the work: a hum of ambient city noise, abrupt silences, and a loud, distorted needle-drop soundtrack that jars against the stillness. Violence is sudden, brief, and matter-of-fact, with some bloody moments and a few harsh beatings, but it is more often implied or shot coolly than lingered on. The vibe is cynical, grimy and sardonic, with a bleak, wry humour that suits a late night alone, a long-haul flight, or a tense, rainy evening. Pacing is unhurried, with long talk-heavy scenes that build to sharp bursts of brutality. The emotional register is detached and acidic, following a hardened professional who sees the crime world as a business of cold transactions. For viewers who enjoy crime films with stylish, talky menace, strong performances, and a disillusioned view of American capitalism, and who can handle hard language and sudden violence.
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