Film Review: KILLING THEM SOFTLY (2012)

Director: Andrew Dominik
Writers: Andrew Dominik (screenplay), George V. Higgins (based on his novel, “Cogan’s Trade”)
Running time: 97 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Crime/Thriller
UK Release date: 21^st September 2012

Watched on DVD Sunday 11^th August 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I have to admit that I didn’t know an awful lot about this one going in. I had a vague recollection of it being reviewed quite well, but with reservations. A friend of mine had seen it and he didn’t particularly like it, but I wasn’t about to let that put me off (he’s steered me wrong before). It’s certainly an interesting film with much in its favour. I can see how it may not be to everyone’s taste but I felt I probably got more out of it than most (maybe). Here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

It all hinges on the robbery of a card game. The perpetrators are Frankie (Scoot McNairy) and Russell (Ben Mendelsohn) and they were sent by Johnny Amato (Vincent Curatola). Now, the game was being run by Markie Trattman (Ray Liotta), who has had trouble like this before and so it was felt any heat would fall on him. Of course the robbery goes down and they get away. The bosses aren’t happy and they send in Jackie (Brad Pitt) to sort it out. He liaises with Driver (Richard Jenkins), who seems to be a kind of middle man. They have a difference of opinion about how to proceed and Jackie ends up bringing in another hit man from New York, Mickey (James Gandolfini). This proves less than successful, for reasons I won’t go into here, and Jackie ends up doing the job himself. But will it go as smoothly as he expects?

I liked the way the film started with a very bleak and down-to earth approach to the whole set-up. Some interesting low-life characters planning a robbery always catches my attention. If anything, it steps up a gear when Brad Pitt enters the scene and I’m really beginning to get into it. Sadly, it wasn’t to last, when the James Gandolfini character appears it does take a bit of a dive. He seems a bit of a wasted character; only there to pad the thing out a bit. It’s a shame because I really liked Gandolfini as an actor and felt this was not a fair reflection of his talent. Some very interesting effects were used and I found these very interesting. The use of slow motion in one particular assassination scene was quite breathtaking. There is also a scene depicting the world from a drug addict’s point of view that looked pretty strange too. Over all, it’s one of those that I think I’ll have to watch again to fully appreciate. For now, I liked it, but didn’t fall in love with it; I’m sure a future viewing may fix that one way or the other.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 7.2/10.

IMDb Score: 6.3/10 (based on 69,545 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1764234/

MetaScore: 64/100: (Based on 42 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 75/100 (based on 210 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 45/100 (based on 115,903 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/killing_them_softly/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/killing_softly
Official Site: http://killingthemsoftlymovie.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: MONSTERS (2010)

Writer/Director: Gareth Edwards
Running time: 90 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Genre: Drama/Sci-fi/Thriller
UK Release date: 3^rd December 2010

Watched on DVD Sunday 1^st January 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Before I begin I want to get one thing straight… This film is NOT an action blockbuster that’s all guns and special effects, it’s a very low budget movie about people… and there might be the occasional extra terrestrial in there too. If you’ve got to here and you’re still reading then I guess you’re still interested. It’s basically the story of a journey through an area in Mexico known as the ‘Infected Zone’ as it is inhabited by creatures from outer space. I will give you my thoughts after this brief summary.

Set in the not too distant future where alien life has been discovered, in fact the filmmakers tell it better than I could:

Title Card: Six years ago... NASA discovered the possibility of alien life within our solar system. A space probe was launched to collect samples but broke up during re-entry over Mexico. Soon after new life forms began to appear and half of the country was quarantined as an INFECTED ZONE. Today... The Mexican & US military still struggle to contain 'the creatures'...

When photographer, Andrew Kaulder, is on assignment in Mexico he is called up by his editor and told to get the boss’s daughter, Samantha Wynden to safety. They catch a train to the coast and, after a bit of a fragmented journey they arrive to find the port about to close. Kaulder manages to have their passports stolen leaving them with only one option, to travel overland across the Infected Zone. This is a very dangerous journey and one that will change their lives. They are escorted by various locals who know the terrain and the creatures well, but even they can fall prey to them occasionally. When they finally reach the border, a massive wall, they don’t quite get the reception they were expecting. I will leave it there or the Spoiler Police (Monsters Division) will be leaving me in the jungle again.

Although it had a very small budget, the film is very well made with some great special effects. Because of the budget, the effects are used sparingly, but with excellent results. The film relies heavily on the two leading characters, and both Scoot McNairy as Andrew Kaulder and Whitney Able as Samantha Wynden did an excellent job.

Although it has quite a slow, deliberate, pace I quite enjoyed this film. The storyline is more about the two main characters and the effect this journey has on them than anything else, but even so, I did find it interesting. There are enough glimpses and hints of the monsters to hold the attention. The effects did remind me slightly of the 2007 film, The Mist, which also featured glimpses of creatures hidden in a mysterious mist. At 90 minutes I found it to be just the right length; any longer and I might have got bored. Over all though I did enjoy this film, there was enough to hold the attention, great effects on a tight budget and the right length… Recommended (for those that don’t expect an action blockbuster).

My Score: 7.1/10.

IMDb Score: 6.4/10 (based on 31,290 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1470827/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 71/100 (based on 141 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 49/100 (based on 34,072 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/monsters-2010/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Samantha Wynden: Doesn't that kind of bother you, that you need something bad to happen to profit from it?
Andrew Kaulder: You mean, like a doctor?

Andrew Kaulder: I'm going to be a meteorologist, because it's the only job where I can be wrong every day, and not get fired.

[last lines]
Samantha Wynden: I don't want to go home.

LINKS:
Official Site (UK): http://www.monstersthemovie.com/
Official Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/monstersthefilm
Trailer: