The Allegory In Killing Them Softly 

You're spot on, apart from the fact that people responsible for the economic crisis got bonuses instead of bullets.

Killing Them Softly is one of those films that grows on me every time I watch it. And I watch it plenty. Great video.

The most accurate depiction of taking a punch I have ever seen. Many fight scenes just have people shrugging off punches like they are nothing. This perfectly encapsulates the true weight and veracity of taking a real punch.

Mickey represents the "baby-boomer" generation. Great video!

11:38 the street shooting is one of many great throw away moments in the movie. I love how Jackie completely ignores the argument, doesn't even glance over to see if it's going to escalate to the point of gunfire he might be caught in. Capped off with the perfectly timed yawn, he doesn't even flinch when the shots happen ... definitely not his first rodeo

Watched it with my 16 yr old son who’s about to study film/screenwriting in college. He particularly likes mob/crime movies and was utterly blown away by the film. He said it had more layers than lasagna and that he never heard such complex sound--especially all the rain and dripping/running water.

*Brad walking into the bar as the black dude talks shit and gets shot in the background is LAYERS of everything. I could write a 100 page essay just off that 20 seconds of film.*

Why this movie isn’t a Scorsese-level masterpiece, I’ll never know. I was immediately affected by it, and every time I see it, it gets better.

This film went either under the radar or completely over everyones head upon first release. It's a great film

Another great analysis. I watched this movie recently and appreciate it much more now. What the film stands for is pretty apparent, but there is some nuance there I missed which you brought to light. Thanks!

Tony soprano is old school, very allegorical.

I love this movie too. Since it came out I've watched it more times than I can count. Its absolutely incredible. Also, as an ex heroin addict the scenes with Russell high or using drugs is extremely realistic. The way they capture his senses fading in and out is spot on. When he ties off and then licks the blood off his arm is also spot on. The actor who played Russell did his research before playing this role which I appreciate.

“I’m livin in America and in America your on your own America’s not a country it’s just a business”

Love this film. Very low key and quite a commentary on the ‘08 economic crisis and how it affected everyone, even criminals. Great acting by everyone and Dominik’s direction is just phenomenal, especially after coming off the beauty and harshness of The Assassination of Jesse James. Hope he does more, because he’s criminally underrated as a director.

Mickey represents Americans.

This movie is criminally underrated

This is a very well done analysis , and this is one of my favorite movies,.. as a person who has done some of the things portrayed in this film,.. i'd say , it was very realistic for how it goes down,.. they get it right,.. didn't feel political or anti, but rather, more like your last 4 sentences,.. That assessment was very Apt,.. America is a business,.. this one persons pursuit of happiness, playing by the rules set forth,.. everybody else around him aren't, which makes him the odd man out. you should have more views

Some people can only understand things a certain way. Out of their eyes its solely a comment on politics when i think its really just a tragedy. "Look how ugly this all is." The desperation in reality and how grotesque and cruel things are. Honesty.

Scoot McNairy's "Somerville scumbag" accent is, by FAR, the best I've heard from an actor! Most people take it way over the top but Scoot sounded like a bonafide piece of Somerville trash! He sounds better even than Matt Damon and Ben Aflek who CLAIM to be from those streets Also, I believe the director is Australian so maybe it was just very new and exciting for him experiencing the financial crisis so he went a little over board with the politics

I’ve watched the film a couple of times and, like I usually do with movies I really like, I’m reading the source material “Cogan’s Trade” by George V. Higgins. The dialog in the film is straight from the book, sometimes word for word. It’s not an easy read but if you like the film, it’s worthwhile.

This one is all about the cast, just perfectly cast. I really enjoy the black hat Pitt. Even as a bad guy he is so good. He even makes perfect sense. Anyone with half a brain knows that all the political noise is just that a distraction or shell game designed to divide and conquer the stupid by the real ruling class. In the end we are controlled by economics no matter how noble or pure we envision ourselves.

The beating of Ray is one of the most uncomfortable beatings in cinema, in my opinion. But you can’t look away because it’s acted out so perfectly. Brutal tho

Rewatched it a few hours ago, completely forgot how good of a movie it was, one of my favorite mob/mafia movies of all time. It’s just so effectively shocking when it needs to be. Jackie killing Frankie in the car was something I originally fully expected, knowing full well that Frankie wasn’t going to live past the credits, but the longer he doesn’t kill him, the more you think he might actually be spared. But no-there’s your reality check

This dude basically shows the best parts of the movie and talks well on it. I really enjoy this essay if you don't want to sit through the whole movie again

I kinda feel like there's a juxtaposition between the street and corporate America. The street has real consequences, and unfortunately corruption in government isn't taken seriously. The politicians police themselves with little or no accountability. On the street everyone is accountable...my two cents.

Didn't appreciate this film on release. I was only 16 at the time. But since then, I've come to love it as I do all his films. I came here after watching Blonde, which I also loved. A monster of a filmmaker! Great analysis of the movie, mate. RIP James and Ray.

There's a clear theme of nihilism throughout the movie; almost all of the characters share an attitude of hopelessness in one way or another. I think that the movie takes a sort of "it is what it is" approach to its take on American politics and economics, and it shows how different zeitgeists make do in their own ways. Either way, I love the movie. It's moody, it's dark, and it's as real as fiction can get before it becomes truth. Easily one of the most underrated of Brad Pitt's roles.

I think both political parties are equal trash and I still believe this film calls your attention to its themes too hard. It would have been nice if the film bookended with radio or a news cast instead of like 5 or 6 instances of gangsters listening to npr or a bar putting on a political rally instead a game for some reason. None of these characters strike me as people interested in watching/listening to this content and it sort of breaks the film's hold on me. I think the film could have employed more show-don't-tell methods of driving the themes home like picking more locations to demonstrate the economic downturn of the era. I guess I just find the 4th news broadcast or radio show to be a cop out. I still like the film, just not as much as the director's film before this one. Even with a narrator, The Assassination of Jeese James made better use of show-don't-tell. In any case, good video analysis. Subbed.

I assumed the allegory was about how inefficient the government is compared to crime organizations

And Brad Pitt finally got his Academy Award for playing second banana to Leo DiCaprio. This is by far his best role ever.

You know, I was enjoying this video Until the narrator started to speak. Then, I viewed more and the narrator brought to light some outstanding observations which were spot on, Bravo!

This is one of the most underrated films in history. I know that is said way too often but this movie should be on a ‘Top 100 Movies of All Time’ list. Besides the Financial Crisis allegory, it shows just how crime works. There isn’t a single person in the film with any redeeming qualities. They’re all just low-life losers. The man who wrote this, George V Higgins, served as Assistant Attorney General for Massachusetts and Assistant United States Attorney. He saw real crime. Crime isn’t glamours but dirty. And real crime is filled with people that you don’t want anything to do with. This movie was based on his book “Coogan’s Trade”. He wrote another book, “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” which was made into a movie by the same name. I highly recommend that movie as well.

This fallopian kid is more creative than Spielberg.

James Gandolfini as Artie Lange

Biology and personal agency/consciousness is why we're "alone". The system is the only thing that keeps us together for as long as it does, abandoning that system =finding anew system that does the same, and will meet the same (if ever) ends. All roads still lead to Rome.

14:57 ur not sure bc he serves no purpose in the movie, he’s there just 4 his name . this movie really isn’t some masterpiece lil bro, it’s just ok . find god

The film took a story about betrayal in the criminal community and tried to make it into a flawed allegory about America and its economics. One can say "this represents this" and try to say what it all means, but even our narrator here can't make all the pieces fit. Whether the "too on the nose" critics were entirely right or wrong, they had a point that the allegory maybe didn't always work as well as intended.

I absolutely 😍😍😍 this movie, I show it to everybody and they just don't get it 🙄

The intro to this movie was phenomenal 🔥

u missed the message completely man. u tried to make it about politics it is way deeper than that man

Brilliant analysis ! This absolute masterpiece of a Film Noir transcends its genre and captures the essence of the Zeit Geist, where the American dream turned to a nightmare to the Anerican middle class, Nation-state being replaced with Nation-market.

So wasn't Mickey supposed to represent John McCain? The old veteran who might have been in line for the job long term, if he had been up to it?

Really great job on this video. You had some very thoughtful comments and statements. Well done sir well done

Cool video, thanks for making it. I wanted to talk about Gandolfini's character, because you seemed to have problems couching him into the allegory. I think Gandolfini's character represented the end of the US trade labor movement. The guy mourns the loss if his union (marriage) to Pitt's character, paranoid (and probably rightly) that Pitt's intervention might have led to its breakup. He's washed up, useless, and had a lot of power at one point. Contemporary America is plagued by this lack of working class institution. Since Clinton's Democrats banished the labor movement from the Democrats, now there is no real alternative to corporatism from either side. Thanks again for making the video.

When i first watched that movie... well i thought it was okayish film. After i saw it 2nd time i considered it great, it was a sleeper; gets better everytime you watch it. I consider it to be among the likes of There will be blood. Modern rare masterpieces.

Left wing or right wing, theyre still attached to the same phucking bird! America is a business. Get on or get out

I have a different interpretation for the last scene. The card games boss to me represents our system or the "lie" that is propagated to people that our system is justice,fair and objective. Now Jackie represents what life in America really is " truth" especially during his iconic speech about jefferson. Jefferson may not have believed the words "all men are creates equal" due to the fact he kept slaves and had children with them. Jefferson also kept slaves that worked for him. I am also fascinated by the fact Jackie does negotiate his contract earlier and yet card boss still tries to screw him out of that money for whatever reason. Jackie represents all of the people and how we feel about the system and the cars boss represents the system as it truly functions just like the Jefferson allegory.

You called Frankie “Kenny” the entire time but other than that you did well here. Kenny was the pudgy white dude that drove for Jackie and went in with Russell on the dogs.

Mickey is George Bush

This movie is exactly why people like trump

Great movie. Brad Pitt is one of the best, doesn't get full credit for it cause he's so damn handsome. His range is massive...from the stoner in True Romance to Tyler Durden and many stops in between. I hope he continues acting when he is really old, would be interesting to see his work once his looks have faded.

Such a great, great film! One of my favorites of all time!

At first I thought this movie was really slow because of the dialogue scenes but it started to grow on me to the point where that's why the movie is good. The dialogue is heavily grounded.

I like the way you breakdown movies, soft and eloquent, subbed. I loved this movie too. I just watched it for the first time last week. And I agree with you about what the movie. It felt like to me that it was just portraying the system and wasn't necessarily critiquing an institution or specific politician. It felt neutral.

If Jackie is Obama, how do you explain the final scene where he is essentially saying, "fuck Obama"?

honestly one of the best videos i've watched on this. I have one question though: dont you think that brad pitts monologue at the end was horribly acted? i always cringe during that scene. anyways, thank you.

When jacky and Kenny meet it's actually the first time the actors have ever met. Brad pitt wanted that tension.

Andrew Dominik made this and THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD. In my opinion both films are flawless. I think I prefer KILLING THEM SOFTLY because it's loosely based on the George V Higgins Boston crime characters and THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE has always been a particular favourite of mine. This film confirmed my suspicion that many reviewers are charlatans but I doubt they considered it as any kind of attack on Obama or the Democrats. That's a stretch.

thank you. Mostly watch clips and read reviews for thrillers...age 72, novelty is different now. Spoilers mostly welcome.

The film tells us it's one big party Rep or Dem and we ain't invited. Great fkn movie 🎦

This channel and movie are both underrated. Your opinions are greatly appreciated. This movie was unreal and so was your explanation. Where was the Oscar?!?!?

So was the first robbing of Markie's game LTCM or maybe Bear Stearns or possibly Enron? I'm leaning towards Enron since Dillon (President Bush) was friends with Markie, and everybody liked Markie (Similar to Bush being close friends with Kenneth "Kenny Boy" Lay).

Well put together assessment. There are definitely good reasons to build these conclusions. I think they did it JUST vague enough to allow viewers to apply it to their own subjective take on things, which is REALLY something in a crime movie! We need more writing like THIS in modern cinema.

Correction professor….. Jackie had went to the bar to track down “Frankie”(my favorite character)……Whom was later murdered after participating in the murder of “The Squirrel 🐿 Not “Kenny”. Funny you mentioned the fat guy Kenny. I personally had guessed that it was Kenny who ratted out Frankie’s whereabouts

Amazing analysis; will definitely recommend this gem on my next video! Cheers!

I found interesting Brad's character is called Jackie in the credits but they never actually call him by his name during the movie. And I wonder if he also killed Dillon.

Great movie. But I don’t think they had Bostonian accent consultants. Hot damn they butchered that. Scoot sounded like a mix of New York and Philly and Mickey Mouse. Still loved it tho

Aight, I'm rewatching this. It was good when I first watched it but with this in mind and a few months in between, I'd like to give it another go

16:30 - 16:38 You sound a bit confused there: The critiques said that the message was too obvious, yes, but they never said that the allegory was a different one, than what you said... they never said that the critique in the film wasn´t about Obama, sure it was, and all accepted that. They just said, that a good film should have done the same job much more subtle, so that one "feels" the truth unconsciously (as art ought to do), and not having the truth shoved in one´s face, and that was the whole critique... Film was very good, being an american film (none could expect more), but surely not good enough in the international comparison, and the pro-reviewers surely have the international expertise to judge. And if you haven´t seen such cinematoraphy and movie-sound before, I can only assume, that you haven´t seen but 10 movies in your whole life, so, please... Film was great, still, no need to exaggerate about it the way you do, you then only risk your credibility...

Ever considered the angle that Russell represents RUSS-IA and Frankie represents FRANce? Mainly because Russia sold the United States Afghani heroin about the time of the Iraq war and the war in Afghanistan. I believe France would represent oil sales and some sort of industry benefit from the wars over there since Frankie got a car.

I loved the movie. Enjoyed your analysis a lot. I don't agree with your point regarding the government being in charge and "making the rules". US banks have written all their own rules for a long time, since Jekyll Island for sure and probably before that.

Good review but your statement near the end "..and the way it will always be." is horrific. Capitalism can and must be done away with and can be replaced with something much better. Raise your sights. #RevolutionNothingLess

I'm just glad someone is giving this movie some love for a change. I've seen it like four times, and I'll probably see it again someday.

Jackie saw it for what it is. It was interesting that they framed this during the election and showed what is going on in the creases while the shine of America was not the idea. It’s not a glitzy mob movie but one that got to the motivations behind the people and what they do. The guy Jackie has as his contact points out early things in the syndicate he works for have gone more corporate, but they still want to get over on the price of what they needed cleaned up despite the fact he stated it clearly when he first started on this venture.

I get the allegory and the acting is sure great here, but on it's surface it's a boring ass gangster movie. None of the action scenes or dialogs were interesting to me, it's like somebody tried to make a Tarantino movie but lacked the talent. To me BOTH the surface level and the message got to be interesting and I can't say that here. I rated it 6/10 on IMDB.

I think you've mistaken Frankie for Kenny. Kenny is a side character; a nobody. Frankie is Russell's partner in crime.

The director took great pains to bash the audience over the head with the “message” in the last scene. And who could blame him? After all, film is the medium of “tell, don’t show”. The fact that it rings so false coming out of Brad Pitt’s mouth is the cherry on top. Maybe next time have a real actor deliver those lines instead of one of the highest-paid movie stars on the planet?

the contrast with the counselor and brad pitt is amazing to watch. the counselor represents the boomers, the old guard, the delusional ones who have lost touch with how things on the street really work, mostly due to how wealthy theyve become. Pitt represents the new generation of people trying to make it. he sees the decrepit and dying system that he's trying to salvage, and the people surrounding that system are beyond delusional, so Pitt simply resolves to get what he can and move on. i see pitt's character as an homage to us millennials, who inherited a system that doesnt function anywhere close to how we were told it does by our elders. what we see on the ground is the drunken dude whoring around in his hotel. we see the poverty and desperation around every corner. we see the system for what it really is - cutthroat. in order to make it you've got to embrace how utterly alone you are and make the moves yourself, or else you'll end up just getting used like the two stooges who rob the poker game in the beginning. at the end Pitt's character realizes the opportunity that comes with the old guard's delusion. Pitt is now the shark and the shot caller - they need him and he can now start dictating the terms. the whole movie for me was the old guard presiding over a dying system and the younger people realizing what the whole thing really is - a business. the old guard want things to return to normal, but the younger, more savy people know the game's changed forever.

I think it's more about how in USA everyone is on their own. The idea of a nation and a nation state in Europe was all about creating a community and from it social programs and services. On the other hand USA is like an anti-nation, a community of people doing whatever the want and rejecting to be parto of a community. That's why we are watching all these gangster and western films. USA is one of the most developed countries and at the same time one of the most violent county. Which is fascinating. Anywhere else in the world it's the other way around.

Way too obvious to be literal. Not a bad film, but it's so in your face with leftist guilt pessimism, it's hard to rematch. Good suspense regardless

The main guy Russel because of whom everybody's died in the end got away. The luck of the unbelievably stupid

Nah i think the critics just didn't like how the film Takes the ideals that the country spews and fawns over, And then reveals that it's all fake. Cheap verbal Platitudes and noble speak to make everyone think there's some kind if framework of brotherhood But in the end the country and society are a bussiness, where bussiness interests rule the day, not moral interest or equalaity That is what they cannot stand. I think modern audiences and critics would have a far easier and better appreciation for this film

This is literally the only time I've heard "Obama is a murderer" outside of insane far-right rants.

This, like Heat, Lord of War, Killer Elite maybe.. There's just always going to be that set of movies that you'll come back to. It's perfectly gritty and so is this analysis. You nailed it.

it was on the nose my friend and the fact that you can't make sense fully of what it was commenting on means it was clumsy. please writers aim higher. if you want to show the parallels between small crime and high crime use the crosscut. allegory is great for commenting on complex issues like systems, social pretext, control devices, values - animal farm, star wars. watch adam curtis's doco's for more intel.

Absolutely agree it's in my top 10 gf like the way it's really down n dirty and the reality of the lower end of the criminal chain ya know the one's who are actually broke 90% of the time forever earning for big man very real & underrated for reason?

I think the movie could have done with less soundbites. If it were just a bit more subtle on that end people might have actually thought about it a bit more. I get setting up the context and themes and they could have left much of it in but I think the movie did well enough to stand on its own as a piece of allegory and having audio/broadcasts of politicians explaining exactly what's going on in the plot feels a bit too convenient. With how much of it there is it feels like a lack of confidence in the movie's execution of the allegory or a lack of confidence in the audience to understand it.

Love this movie. Never have I met someone who even watched it let alone enjoyed it, until now. Thank you.

Why don’t you read the book that this film is based on . George Higgins is the author of Cogan’s Trade

I can't believe those rotten tomato scores. Did they actually watch the same movie? The first time I watched it, I thought it was pretty good. The second time, it was great.

The Assassination of Jesse James is one of my all time favorite films, so after watching Blonde recently, I decided to finally get around to checking out Killing Them Softly. I don't really agree with the interpretation in this video. This film has nothing to do with the 2008 financial crisis. Like Andrew Dominik's other films, Killing Them Softly is about deconstructing a myth. Only here it is not the myth of a celebrity like Jesse James or Marilyn Monroe, but the myth of America itself. This much is proven in Jackie's final monologue. Love and friendship mean nothing in the cold brutal world of Killing Them Softly. Jackie is only concerned with personal gain and has no time for romanticism. This was the point of Gandolfini's character and Jackie's impatience with his incessant reminiscing, and indeed why Jackie cynically 'kills people softly' - he detaches himself from emotion altogether. Dominik does not philosophize with a hammer. While his films are bleak, melancholic, cynical & nihilistic, there is a strong undercurrent of humanity in them. We almost feel like Jesse James and Jackie could be our friends, even though they are monsters. We sympathize with Bob Ford, Frankie, and Norma Jean in a way that we could never sympathize with Fight Club's Narrator. These are human characters to a fault. Dominik's films show what happens when we succumb to cynicism - cynicism begets self-destruction. Dominik understands the modern world better than anyone I've seen and that's what makes him one of my favorite filmmakers.

love the breakdown of this movie , but in comparison to real life politics nobody faces any consequences there is no Jackie or Dillan just the robbers and those that got took

I found the film silly. A hit man using a pistol grip shot gun at 40 yards and waits until the target gets to the car window before he shoots? Also the sawed off to the shells shotgun? The whole thing is silly.

many times there is some "vision" that a director gets in his head. And they think they are being SOOO deep. When it doesnt translate for the masses well then it misses the mark. Other times college film class students read much into things because they become so advanced after two months into the class

I really enjoyed your video. I love the film, but never was able to quite put the pieces together about the deeper meaning. Very insightful.

This was one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen and was clearly trying so hard to be heady but just came off as pretentious.

lol and here I thought the only people that liked it WERE the critics. Loved it then and loved it now. Great video!

man i would love to converse theories with you about movies. great perspective

i recall it having a lot of political bg noise, but couldnt tell what the point was when i first watched it

I was bored by this movie and thought it was an over-the-top joke, but now I need to see it again.