I don't even have to read the negative reviews (but I did) to know what they're going to say - too much talk, not enough action, undeveloped characters, no story, too confusing and on and on. It's almost precisely why I found the picture so fascinating. Set against the backdrop of the 2008 financial meltdown and the presidential election cycle, the mob business is undergoing it's own downturn, made worse when a free lance criminal (Vincent Curatola as Johnny Amato) hires on a couple of hit men to duplicate a staged robbery that Markie Trattman (Ray Liotta) successfully pulled against himself to set up the story. The picture takes it's own sweet time to develop the characters of Frankie (Scoot MacNairy) and zoned out partner Russell (Ben Mendelsohn) in a buildup to the actual heist, putting the mob on defense in a protracted cat and mouse game over who's going to pay for this latest indiscretion.
I read a couple reviewers who were of the belief that Brad Pitt was making a political statement here as a noted Hollywood liberal and supporter of the President. Let's keep something in mind, Pitt's an actor and he didn't come up with the script. In fact, Pitt probably had to choke down his dialog in the final scene when he confronted the mob lawyer (Richard Jenkins credited as Driver in the story) after checking his payoff - "I'm living in America and in America you're on your own". Meaning that he expected full payment for services provided after intermediary New York Mickey (James Gandolfini) crapped out on his end of the deal. The message was a decidedly capitalist one, and if the picture had gone on, I'm pretty sure Jackie Cogan (Pitt) would have been made whole one way or another.
In my estimation, the film's best sequence occurred when Jackie performed the hit on Liotta's Markie character. Done in extreme slow motion and highly stylized, the scene is destined to be a classic of mob movie inspired violence. One might even say there was a distinct poetry to rubbing out Markie Trattman. Jackie's other victims weren't done quite as creatively, let's just say he was efficient at his job. Come to think of it now as I write this, there wasn't too much 'softly' about it either.
Anyway, going in one should temper expectations against one's preferences in movie styles. Characters and dialog are my thing and this one delivered along with the expected violence. I'd put it up there with some of the year's best output.
I read a couple reviewers who were of the belief that Brad Pitt was making a political statement here as a noted Hollywood liberal and supporter of the President. Let's keep something in mind, Pitt's an actor and he didn't come up with the script. In fact, Pitt probably had to choke down his dialog in the final scene when he confronted the mob lawyer (Richard Jenkins credited as Driver in the story) after checking his payoff - "I'm living in America and in America you're on your own". Meaning that he expected full payment for services provided after intermediary New York Mickey (James Gandolfini) crapped out on his end of the deal. The message was a decidedly capitalist one, and if the picture had gone on, I'm pretty sure Jackie Cogan (Pitt) would have been made whole one way or another.
In my estimation, the film's best sequence occurred when Jackie performed the hit on Liotta's Markie character. Done in extreme slow motion and highly stylized, the scene is destined to be a classic of mob movie inspired violence. One might even say there was a distinct poetry to rubbing out Markie Trattman. Jackie's other victims weren't done quite as creatively, let's just say he was efficient at his job. Come to think of it now as I write this, there wasn't too much 'softly' about it either.
Anyway, going in one should temper expectations against one's preferences in movie styles. Characters and dialog are my thing and this one delivered along with the expected violence. I'd put it up there with some of the year's best output.