Rated: R    Runtime: 97 mins.
Set in the crime-ridden areas of New Orleans the weeks before the 2008 presidential election in USA, »Killing Them Softly« begins with two petty crooks robbing a mob-protected poker game, believing that someone else will get the blame. To restore the disrupted order, smooth and pragmatic assassin Jackie Cogan steps in, a cynical voice in theme with the film’s mood.

As in his last film, THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD, director Andrew Dominik has cast Brad Pitt as a rough gunman. With a title that refers to the character’s motto (he only kills people from a distance, calling it “killing them softly”) this is an unglamorous satire in a stylized package, which has become a trademark for director Andrew Dominik.

Furthermore KILLING THEM SOFTLY is a striking view of the political situation in USA over the past years, mixing in footage from campaign speeches by then-president George W. Bush and then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, who both talk about healing and hope to a nation in severe economic crisis. Their promises of a better future stand in contrast to the gritty thievish southern world where social despair dominates. - Adam Akkaya, Stockholm Film Festival. Directed by Andrew Dominik, USA, 2012, 35mm, 97 mins.