Simon Dillon reviews Andrew Dominik's film, a compelling statement about Western capitalism and the human race

Depending on your point of view, director Andrew Dominik's Killing Them Softly is either a compelling statement about Western capitalism and the human race in general, or a horrible film about horrible people being horrible. Frankly I think both are true. Whilst the film is superbly acted and directed, it's also a bleak, nihilistic misery. I am glad I saw it but nothing will ever induce me to watch it again.

The plot concerns a mob poker game that gets held up by a pair of inept armed robbers. As a result, contract killer Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt) is called in to eliminate Markie Trattman (Ray Liotta) - a man innocent of this particular theft but guilty of an earlier one. Even though Trattman is innocent, the mob want to send a clear message to people on the street who think he is guilty and thus "restore confidence" in the gambling underworld.

Meanwhile, because this is set in 2008, television sets in the background play clips of George Bush and Barack Obama yakking on about "restoring confidence" in the economy in the face of the banking crisis. As a result, the message of the film becomes clear: human greed is universal, both at the upper echelons of society, and at the lowest parts amongst criminals. The mob underworld contains all kinds of parallels to Western government with its own recession and cutbacks, along with corporate bureaucrats reluctant to make the "brave" decisions.

The film is extremely well acted and directed, but it's also an unrelentingly unpleasant experience and I simply don't go along with its worldview. Yes, as a race we're capable of appalling greed, but we're also capable of tremendous good. The film focuses on the consequences when financial greed becomes an idol (whether amongst criminals or bankers, for those who want to separate the two), but it fails to look at the spiritual angle or indeed point out that not everyone is like this. Killing Them Softly would have you believe Western capitalism is all bad, something I disagree with. It would also have you believe that the human race is irreparably selfish and doomed, which I don't believe either.

Perhaps in the end, whether or not one "enjoys" or "appreciates" Killing Them Softly depends on one's personal beliefs. Some will nod their heads at its damning view of humanity. Others will simply think it's a horrible film about horrible people being horrible, especially given the brutal violence, bad language and shocking misogyny depicted herein. To be fair, Andrew Dominik is a fine director, and was previously responsible for largely unsung masterpiece The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford which I absolutely loved. I just hope next time he makes a film I can celebrate as well as appreciate.