I can understand why a lot of people don't like this movie, it's wordy like "Sports Night" or "The West Wing" and the wordiness often seems pointless. A lot of people don't like the late George V. Higgins' books and this is based on "Cogan's Trade". All of his books are wordy and his characters are complex people. Like in real life there's often a fine line between good and bad and there's often many shades of gray. Heck, Higgins is the only male fiction writer (I actually read very little fiction) who can spend a half page describing what a character if wearing or the decor of their home. I'd almost bet that every coat worn by any of his characters has a brand mentioned.While the stories are often complex, and the resolution not always clear, I've always found his books engrossing. Everyone in them is a politician, a cop, a crook (sometimes simultaneously) or some type of public figure. Almost all take place in New England which is mostly where he lived and practiced law. Maybe because I have a pretty active imagination but I swear I can "hear" the different accents in his characters; an Irish guy who grew up in "Southie" regardless of his station in life "sounds" different that a 10th generation banker who sails his 50 foot sailboat and vacations in the Caribbean.I feel that in "A Choice of Enemies" he gave the best description I've ever read or heard of how "practical" everyday politics operates, or should. That is a book that I've recommended to a dozen or so people and only two of them ever read it, one of them after quitting after 25 or so pages and starting again 8 months later.The only other book of Higgins that was made into a movie was "The Friends of Eddie Coyle", his first novel, which starred Robert Mitchum and Peter Boyle. Although I haven't watched it in years I remember it being more straight up story telling and a "cleaner" crime drama. I first heard of Higgins when in about 1974 Playboy Magazine excerpted "The Diggers Game". Being 26 and in the military a lot of my friends and I read Playboy. In discussing this there were multiple interpretations of what ultimately happened at the end of it.I enjoy Higgins' way with words and I've adopted several of his phrases into my lexicon. Describing a character's sailboat; "it wasn't small but it wasn't real big either. It would sleep six, f**k four or fight two". If you've ever had a fight with a spouse on a driving or flying trip you'll know how small that is. Another favorite is about the difference between the FBI and other cops; "Nah, we're not the Mounties. We not only get our man but his brother in law and a couple of guys from his bowling team." And of course I've always applied "Bomber's Law" whenever I see anything going on that isn't easily understood. You'll have to read "Bomber's Law" to find out what the law is.You may have noticed that this "review" is less about the movie and more about Higgins. I intended it to show what type of author wrote the original story and not what to expect from the film. I decided to write this after reading an article about how CinemaScore has only ever had 19 "F" grades. The article describer "Killing Them Softly" as being "European". I guess by that they meant that it doesn't explain every little detail to the audience because they assume the audience are not all idiots.

I was expectantly thrilled to see another Brad Pitt movie that had him playing an edgy character once again, as I feel he is very interesting to watch in these roles. This movie did give Brad an edginess but the script and direction were not half as good as Brad can be. I found the entire movie to be very wordy and the dialogue did not move the story along fast enough to justify all the talk, talk, talk. The title refers to the distance that Jackie says he like to kill from as any closer he gets too involved. Or some such drivel. Then when he gets around to doing it, his second gun shot is from close up. What was all the talk about distance and Killing Them Softly about? I lost interest halfway through this and started to fall asleep.. Not a good sign. Any movie that puts me to sleep is not holding my attention.I would not recommend this picture other then as a cure for insomnia.

My friend, Jefferson's an American saint because he wrote the words, "All men are created equal." Words he clearly didn't believe, since he allowed his own children to live in slavery. He was a rich wine snob who was sick of paying taxes to the Brits. So yeah, he wrote some lovely words and aroused the rabble, and they went out and died for those words, while he sat back and drank his wine and pucked his slave girl. This guy wants to tell me we're living in a community. Don't make me laugh. I'm living in America, and in America, you're on your own. America's not a country. It's just a business. Now pucking pay me. And that is all. I've browsed almost fifty reviews and no one mentioned this.Pity.

This neo-noir crime-thriller, directed by Andrew Dominik and based on the novel 'Cogan's Trade' by George V. Higgins follows a story set in the fall of 2008 during the American financial crisis and the presidential election campaign, of Johnny Amato (played by Vincent Curatola) who hires two amateur criminals Frankie (played by Scott McNairy) and Russell (played by Ben Mendelsohn) to assist in a robbery of an illegal poker game run by Markie Trattman (played by Ray Liotta). After successful pulling off the robbery, Ben and Russell kidnap Markie and brutally dispatch him. This gains the attention of mafia ambassador Driver (played by Richard Jenkins) who hires local hit-man Jackie Cogan (played by Brad Pitt) to go after the criminals and bring them in the justice.The title derives from the main character's unique way of taking down the bad guys. This movie is definitely no instant classic nor does it try to be, it manages to stand tall above its flaws. Brad Pitt is brilliant as ever, and his portrayal in the main role is deeply engrossing enough to keep viewers attention. Ray Liotta who is well known for his performance in the classic crime-drama 'Goodfellas' finds his time to shine here as well. Both these actors manage to stand out from its slow paced plot. The story begins with a promise and the characters remain solid upon introduction. The main flaw, however, comes from the slow pacing of the plot. The film starts at a solid pace and brings fair interest to the characters and the themes of economic collapse including political commentary on the 2008 presidential election campaign when Barack Obama was running for his first term. The idea of the plot is a robbery of a poker game involving illegal gambling to bring down the criminal economy, and the concept is best stated by one of the character's quotes "America is not the country, its a business". The whole concept however, is a bit confusing and somewhat hard to follow. These flaws though, are made up by some incredibly performances by the cast and great cinematography, and an okay direction by Andrew Dominik. Some scenes work well and generate plenty of suspense, others not so much.Killing Them Softly, thought suffering from pacing issues, stands as a firm neo-noir thriller. This is not a film that will appeal to everyone and certainly not appeal to every Brad Pitt fan, but it is worth watching. Just don't go into this movie expecting something like Scarface or Goodfellas, otherwise you will likely be disappointed.