Killing Them Softly (2012)
Killing Them Softly is a 2012 American neo-noir crime film written and directed by Andrew Dominik and starring Brad Pitt, based on George V. Higgins’ novel Cogan’s Trade (1974). The film is about three small-time crooks who rob a Mob-protected illegal gambling operation, which prompts the Mob to send in two hitmen, Jackie (Pitt) and Mickey (James Gandolfini), to deal with the perpetrators. On May 22, 2012, the film premiered in competition for the Palme d’Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival and received positive early reviews. Killing Them Softly was released on November 30, 2012, by The Weinstein Company to mostly positive reviews, even though general audiences were less receptive to the film. It grossed $37.9 million against a budget of $15 million.RELATED:
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Plot.
During the American financial crisis and presidential election campaign in the autumn fall of 2008, Johnny “Squirrel” Amato plans to rob a Mafia poker game. He enlists Frankie, a former business associate, and Russell, a heroin-addicted Australian expatriate who is stealing purebred dogs for money. They decide to target a game run by Markie Trattman, who is known to have previously orchestrated an inside job by paying two men to rob his own illegal poker game. Squirrel anticipates that Markie will be the obvious suspect because of this, and the Mafia will simply have him killed without investigating further. Frankie and Russell, although obviously amateurs, do the holdup and leave with the money.
Afterwards, a mafioso named Driver hires hitman Jackie Cogan to deal with the situation. Although Jackie correctly intuits that Markie was uninvolved with the recent heist, he believes Markie still needs to die since he looks guilty, and an example needs to be made to discourage further robberies, but not without arranging for Markie to suffer a beating by mobsters Steve and Barry.
Upon completing the crime, Russell travels to Florida to sell the dogs. While in Florida, he inadvertently informs a man named Kenny Gill of his involvement in the heist while trying to recruit him as a drug dealer. Kenny informs Jackie, who deduces that Russell, Frankie, and Squirrel were the perpetrators.