Killing them Softly

Discussion in 'TV & Media' started by Starkers, Oct 1, 2012.

  1. Starkers

    Starkers Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2001
    Location:
    Behind Enemy Lines
    Just wondered if anyone else had seen this? I went to see it last week and thought it was surprisingly good. At times the allegory is hammered home a little too unsubtly (The film mirrors the financial crisis of 2008 by focusing on a similar crisis in the criminal fraternity), but on the whole I liked it, and I have to say, it’s rare I’ve seen Hollywood be so brutally honest about the American Dream, or a founding father, Brad Pitt’s speech at the end is awesome.
     
  2. od0_ital

    od0_ital Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2001
    Location:
    Nacogdoches, Texas
    It hasn't opened here yet, but I'd like to see it. Ray Liotta is almost always awesome.
     
  3. Starkers

    Starkers Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2001
    Location:
    Behind Enemy Lines
    ^Aha, I didn't realise that. Liotta is very good in it.
     
  4. the G-man

    the G-man Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2010
    Location:
    to your immediate right
    Apparently, it was pushed back in the US to increase its chances during awards season. I was a little surprised, insofar as the last I knew it was still set for September release. I had thought perhaps it was one of those films that came and went before anyone knew it.
     
  5. Starkers

    Starkers Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2001
    Location:
    Behind Enemy Lines
    Interesting, always feels a little odd to see something before the States does, unless it's something like Bond which we tended to always get first, at at leadt at the same time.

    As for awards? I'm not sure, I liked it a lot but I'm not sure it's that good...adapted screenplay might definitely be a possibility though.
     
  6. the G-man

    the G-man Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2010
    Location:
    to your immediate right
    Ouch. Looks like it pretty much did come and go in the U.S.

    • Brad Pitt's Killing Them Softly opened nationwide to a soft $2.5 million, coming in No. 6 and earning a rare F CinemaScore....Killing Them Softly likely will open to $7 million, a disappointing number even though the movie cost only $15 million to produce.


    I noticed a really odd trailer for this on TV about a week ago. It tried to make Pitt's character look like a traditional action hero. I wonder if that isn't part of the reason for the "F" grade with audiences: they went in expecting "Brad Pitt's Die Hard," or "Ocean's 1."
     
  7. the G-man

    the G-man Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2010
    Location:
    to your immediate right
    This article speculates that's exactly what, in part, led to the "F":

    • Although the film played the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and earned decent reviews from critics, it was advertised as an intense action thriller instead of the slower paced art film that it really is. That kind of disconnect between marketing and the actual product usually leads to lower audience grades, but 'F's are rare. (Previous films to receive the dishonor include 2009's "The Box," 2002's "Solaris" and this year's "The Devil Inside.")
     
  8. od0_ital

    od0_ital Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2001
    Location:
    Nacogdoches, Texas
    Saw it yesterday, and it was pretty much what I was expectin' from the trailer that I saw for it.

    It hasn't really drawn a crowd at the theater I work at, though...
     
  9. Robert Maxwell

    Robert Maxwell memelord Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2001
    Location:
    space
    That makes sense. I saw a trailer for it in the theater once, and while the editing of the trailer gave the impression of an action thriller, it also seemed too brooding to really be one, so I wasn't sure exactly what it was supposed to be. The trailer just wound up confusing me and not telling me much at all, and so I had no interest in seeing it.

    Bad marketing can torpedo an otherwise decent film.
     
  10. OdoWanKenobi

    OdoWanKenobi Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2003
    Location:
    Ysmault
    I saw it, and I was underwhelmed. Maybe it was how unsubtle the metaphor was. Maybe it was that I've seen Gandolfini's character in so many other movies and it's worn thin. The plot is very point A to point B without a lick of suspense. The dialogue was well written, but it was in service of characters and a plot that just didn't click for me.
     
  11. Drago-Kazov

    Drago-Kazov Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2012
    I probably won't watch this. Juging by the reviews it's too preachy.
     
  12. zakkrusz

    zakkrusz Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2002
    Location:
    United States
    I went last week because my friend wanted to see it. I would place the film in the mediocre range. I was just not able to get into it that much and found it mostly boring. My friend didn't like it either and he's the one who wanted to go.
     
  13. Starkers

    Starkers Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2001
    Location:
    Behind Enemy Lines
    Yes it was a bit sledge hammery in places, I managed to ignore that somewhat. Shame as the metaphor would have been much more subtle if they'd cut all the news/radio reports out.

    Maybe I was just in the right mood to like it at the time, I found the characters engaging (even though they were, to a man, scumbags) and I liked the tone.

    I think Galdofini playing the same old character was kinda the point. I took it to be the big man still acting like he's king of the world, like he's the man in charge, when actually he isn't. I kinda assumed it was a metaphor for America in general?
     
  14. Aeronef

    Aeronef Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Dec 7, 2012
    Saw it this afternoon. Very good film--well-written, well-directed, and well-acted. One of the best neo-noirs I've seen in a while.