3/5 stars

From the director that brought you the 2000 cult film Chopper’and 2007’s compelling Western drama The Assassination of Jesse James comes a stylish crime drama about world weary hit men and a heist gone wrong, based on the novel Cogan’s Trade. If In Bruges springs to mind, you’re thinking along the right lines. The star-studded cast features some great fictional gangster alumni, including Ray Liotta (Goodfellas) and James Gandolfini (The Sopranos). But it’s Brad Pitt that takes central billing, stealing the show in his entrance scene alone.

Bringing a novel to the big screen is no easy task but Andrew Dominik seems to have struck gold here, updating the 1970s setting to 2008, where hit men take a reduced fee due to the state of the economy, and news reports about Bush and Obama seem to appear on screen at all too well-timed moments. The film’s tongue in cheek sense of humour is reminiscent of classics such as Pulp Fiction, and includes a few nice nods to its genre origins and inspirations.

However, the picture fails to really leave a lasting impression, despite strong performances from a talented cast and sharp dialogue (the final line is a great example). The 2008 election backdrop feels overused and the film’s anti-capitalist overtones never really pay off. Dominik also fails to make the best use he could of the supporting cast, which is a shame as they provide some of the film’s greatest moments.

Killing Them Softly worth a look if you’re in the mood for a film that provides a surprising number of laughs and some good old-fashioned ultra-violence. A slow motion sequence of killing and the immersion in one character’s heroin haze are arguably some of the best moments of the film, unapologetically brutal and compelling. But if you’re looking for gritty political commentary and substance over style, you might leave disappointed.

Hannah Woodhead