"In America you're on your own"
Cast:
-Brad Pitt
-Scoot McNairy
-Ben Mendelsohn
-James Gandolfini
-Richard Jenkins
-Vincent Curatola
-Ray Liotta
-Trevor Long
-Max Casella
-Sam Shepard
-Slaine
Release Date: November 30, 2012
DVD Release Date: February 27, 2013
Most awkward situation ever. I was the third wheel on a venture to see the newest Brad Pitt film. The good thing about being a third wheel is that you don't have a date to worry about entertaining during the film. I could actually pay attention and examine what I was seeing. It was a guy film. One of those gangster 'lets kill him cause he stole our money' type flicks. I was wondering for the longest time, what had happened to Brad Pitt? His luscious wife had been making films and working, but I hadn't seen much from him. Busy being a good father and sex symbol I suppose. Either way, the break was worth it because Brad Pitt was back in a big way.
His character in the film is pretty baddass, in a way that only he could play. He goes around reaping vengeance for the higher ups and does it ever so smoothly. If shooting a man in the face through his car window several times at a stoplight can be considered smooth. After several first class ass kickings and assassinations I started to realize that this film was much more clever than it lets on. Underneath all that hard and gritty guy film exterior it is a public service announcement. It is a truthful commentary on the state of the American government and economy. This is made clear in the final moments of the film when Brad Pitt speaks these epic words:
"My friend, Thomas Jefferson is 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's a rich white snob who's sick of paying taxes to the Brits. So, yeah, he writes some lovely words and aroused the rabble and they went and died for those words while he sat back and drank his wine and fucked 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 fuckin' pay me. "
That right there summed up the whole film for me and then the screen smashed to black. Very few movies nowadays leave you feeling complete at the end, like there was a purpose. This one did. I went into this movie with no expectations because I hadn't heard anything about it. When I left the film, it had a warm and fuzzy spot in the politically centered riot zone in my mind. This movie made me think, it made me mad. Because nothing that Brad Pitt said in those last moments was false. And suddenly the title of the film made so much more sense. We, the people, are 'them' and we are being 'killed softly'.
Screenshots :)
Have you seen Killing Them Softly?
Is it on your 'to go see' list?
No comments:
Post a Comment
Did you like my post? Anything I can do to make it better? Leave a comment and let me know :) Thanks for visiting :)