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On the podcast this week, Steven and Sean are, well, we\u2019re not killing anybody, softly or\u2026 hardly? That\u2019s for damn sure. I mean, Brad Pitt may be cool and all, and he makes a goatee look halfway decent, but the dude\u2019s character is a straight-up contract killer in this one. We don\u2019t support that. Anyway, this week it\u2019s all about the 2012 film from Andrew Dominik, Killing Them Softly.

And let\u2019s talk about Pitt\u2019s performance. It\u2019s entrancing. It\u2019s quiet. It\u2019s menacing in its kindness and grotesque in its violence. It\u2019s also quite the thing to juxtapose next to his Jeffrey Goines character in 12 Monkeys. Have there ever been two more disparate people?

\u2026

None are springing to mind. Hats off to this wonderful person. He\u2019s been a real, self-made (arguably thanks to a great many talented people along the way) actor. He\u2019s got humble beginnings growing up in Springfield, Missouri, and now he\u2019s one of the most well-regarded actors of his time. It\u2019s remarkable to see someone who knows what he\u2019s capable of and is still willing to make relatively small films like this one. It goes to prove how humble and dedicated to his craft he is when he\u2019s willing to take these non-flashy roles, although it\u2019s still impossible to take your eyes off him.

Okay, enough gushing about this wonderful man. Onto the film!

Killing Them Softly boils down to being about the consequences a few men face after getting caught up in a robbery, and not being too smart after the event. Rule number one of robbing anyone: don\u2019t run your damn mouth about the score afterwards! Should be pretty obvious, right?

There\u2019s no shortage of stupid people out there and the stupidity of one of these characters ruins the good time everyone was having. What\u2019s got to happen when the ledgers of powerful, violent people dip into the red? Well, someone\u2019s got to balance those scales (I\u2019ll stop mixing metaphors now). Pitt\u2019s called in to take care of the mess these foolish thieves have gotten themselves into.

In this case, \u201ctake care of\u201d doesn\u2019t mean a stern talking to; people are going to die. In sometimes spectacular, slow-motion fashion.

It\u2019s a simple film\u2014there\u2019s a robbery and then there are killings. Cause and effect. Doesn\u2019t get much more straightforward than that. However, the film elevates this story with amazing visuals, some superb sound work, and acting that\u2019ll knock your pants off. It may not be for everybody, but if you\u2019re cool with violence and a slower-moving plot, this is definitely your cup of tea.

(Recorded on December 29, 2020)

Links to Stuff We Mentioned:

Killing Them Softly - IMDb

Killing Them Softly trailer - YouTube

Brad Pitt - IMDb

Ray Liotta - IMDb

Requiem for a Dream - IMDb

Scoot McNairy - IMDb

Ben Mendelsohn - IMDb

Vincent Curatola - IMDb

The Joker | Batman Wiki - Fandom

The Dark Knight - IMDb

Ford Fiesta - Wikipedia

Kick-Ass - IMDb

John Wick - IMDb

James Gandolfini - IMDb

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