Killing Them Softly Download 720p
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A high-level mob boss named Mickey (James Gandolfini) arrives in town, hauling his in-flight luggage through the airport like a traveling businessman. He orders the executions of Russell and Johnny by a silky hit man named Jackie (Brad Pitt), who likes to kill softly, as explained by one of the many aging classic songs on the soundtrack. These are the first two of many, many mob-on-mob killings in the film, as the syndicate administers its own version of a bailout.
The movie Killing Them Softly tells a gritty story about crime and consequences, and ends with a snarling commentary on the so-called "American Dream." Written and directed by Australian filmmaker Andrew Dominik, the film works as a conventional gangster film, but uses clips from the 2008 U.S. presidential election for a broader narrative about economic realities. Currently streaming on Netflix, Killing Them Softly originally released in November 2012.
In Killing Them Softly, hit man Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt) operates as an underworld regulator. When two low-level criminals named Frankie (Scoot McNairy) and Russell (Ben Mendelsohn) rob a local card game run by Markie Trattman (Ray Liotta), they disrupt the community cashflow and power dynamics. As explained by Jackie to his mafia contractor Driver (Richard Jenkins), everybody knows Trattman once robbed his own game, so the truth doesn't matter - it's faith in the system that matters. And so Trattman needs to be eliminated, according to Jackie, in order to get things back to normal. Killing Them Softly is based on George V. Higgins' 1974 novel Cogan's Trade.
Jackie sees the bigger picture and protects his cashflow in Killing Them Softly. Before Trattman can be killed, though, Jackie needs approval from Driver's unnamed bosses. He trusts the system, but also prepares for the worst. Jackie needs to restore a sense of economic balance in order to gain more financial opportunities, and so he accepts a $15,000 contract to kill Trattman. The entire first hour of the Netflix crime film explores Jackie's motivations, and details how he manages to survive the storm. Here's an explainer for the final act of Killing Them Softly.
Killing Them Softly plays out as an allegory for the 2007-2008 financial crisis: major risk taking, a system collapse, financial bail-outs, and a subsequent recession. The crash that Jackie attempts to overcome originates with Trattman admitting to robbing his own card game. Incidentally, his unapologetic greed and boasting prompts Squirrel to manipulate the system by hiring two naive criminals, Frankie and Russell, who simply need the money. They don't anticipate the consequences of robbing Trattman, but do know where the blame will fall. For a real-life comparison (h/t Stack Exchange), Trattman has been connected to former Bear Stearns CEO James Cayne, a businessman who's been partially blamed for inciting the 2007-2008 financial crisis, and also a man who hired a team of international card players for high-stakes Bridge competitions.
As detailed in the 2015 dramedy The Big Short, investment brokers like Cayne were responsible for an inevitable financial crisis. Within the world of Killing Them Softly, the Trattman robbery creates a confidence crisis, which means that someone needs to calm the storm. In this case, Driver reminds Jackie that his bosses have a "total corporate mentality" - they don't want to kill Trattman, they just want to send him a message. But Jackie tells Driver that they need to get the industry back to normal. During this conversation, George W. Bush can be heard on the radio talking about public opinions and building support. Moments later, while Driver's henchmen prepare to give Trattman a beating, a news clip references Henry Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs who became the Secretary of the Treasury and set a bailout in motion. In Killing Them Softly, Driver needs to restore confidence but protects his buddies. In contrast, Jackie protects himself. These separate philosophies set-up their final conversation (more on that below).
As Killing Me Softly's primary financial regulator, Jackie identifies significant problems with his usual collaborators. For one, Driver wants to bail out Trattman, so that's a problem. Secondly, Jackie enlists a fellow hitman named Mickey (James Gandolfini) for assistance, but discovers that the man is now drinking heavily and simple unreliable. Mickey is also part of the problem because he's taking money but laughs at the concept of accountability. After a revealing hotel room conversation, Jackie receives clarity and informs Driver that Mickey needs to go, and needs to go NOW. Jail will be good for him, just like so many-real life bankers who manipulated the system to their advantage and lost perspective. There's humanity left in Mickey, evidenced by his sob stories, but he's a different man. Jackie even admits that he wanted the version of Mickey from "two years ago."
To save himself, Jackie needs to do all the dirty work. He knows how stupid some of the low-level criminals can be, evidenced by remarks to Driver about their acquaintance Kenny Gill (Slaine), who provides intel about Frankie and Russell. After Jackie sets up Mickey and kills Trattman during a stylized sequence, he moves down the chain. Squirrel is killed for orchestrating the Trattman robbery. Frankie is killed for being naive and unreliable; someone who could potentially create even more problems by talking too much. For Jackie, it's just business. He's restoring faith in the system, and faith in the people who hire him. And it's no accident that Jackie uses the line "Yes, you are" to address people like Frankie who claim to be unsure about certain facts, as it's a phrase that connects to Barack Obama's campaign slogan "Yes, we can."
Killing Them Softly ends with a commentary on the American Dream and the rise of Barack Obama. After killing Frankie, Jackie has balanced out his underworld community, and establishes himself as someone who creates and inspires change. Still, he's fully cognizant of the reality that business colleagues will use American Dream concepts against him, just like real-world businessman tried to spin financial situations to their advantage, hoping that many Americans were too naive to notice the fine print, or simply didn't care all that much.
As Jackie enters a bar to meet Driver, he scoffs at Obama delivering a speech on television about Americans being part of one big community. "Ah, yes. We're all the same," Jackie scowls, "we're all equal." He also scoffs at Driver who says "Do me a favor: don't do me any favors. I see how you work." In the moment, Jackie attempts to carry on a meaningful exchange, but he's essentially shut down by not sharing the same opinions as Driver. In retrospect, it's that same concept that led many Americans to vote for Donald Trump in 2016, if only because they'd been reductively labeled and categorized as conservatives who didn't understand what's best for them. In Killing Them Softly, Jackie fully understands what he needs, and what he's owed: $45 thousand for three hits. As Jackie heads to the bathroom, shortly before counting his earnings, Obama speaks on television about the "forgotten corners of the world" and shared destiny. As Jackie returns from the bathroom, the crowd on television chants "Yes, we can! Yes, we can!" - a moment that connects to the hitman's "Yes, you are" statements from before, and also sets up his final speech about how America actually works (from his perspective).
Jackie realizes that he's been short-changed by Driver, who smirks like a real-life scheming CEO, and cites "recession prices." According to the bosses, Jackie will get paid the same as their other hit man, Dillon (Sam Shepard). Much to Driver's surprise, though, Jackie has shifted market prices by killing Dillon that morning. Driver attempts to justify his personal perspective, citing "a business of relationships" and even suggesting that Jackie should pay attention to Obama's statement that "Out of many, we are one." But this American worker, Jackie, doesn't buy myth, and connects it to founding father Thomas Jefferson and his sexual relationship with a slave. "Don't make me laugh," Jackie says, "I'm living in America, and in America, you're on your own. America's not a country. It's just a business. Now f**king pay me."
When the system collapses in Killing Me Softly, Jackie takes a major risk and protects his business interests. Rather than bailing out Trattman, he restores confidence amongst his peers. Jackie's faith is faith in himself. Driver can drink and complain all he wants, but nothing has changed for his hired hand. Agree or disagree with Jackie's beliefs, his ability to see the bigger picture is what makes him a valuable American worker.
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