When it was announced that Coogan’s Trade, director Andrew Dominik’s mob-thriller follow-up to The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (*breathe*), was being renamed to Killing Them Softly, I was a tad bit disappointed. It was a very generic sounding new title that downplayed Brad Pitt’s mob-enforcer character, Coogan, in favour of a not-so-clever pun on a Roberta Flack song. (That’s right whippersnappers, the Fugees didn’t do the original. Oh you’re too young to even know the Fugees? Well, damn I feel old now.)
However, as can be seen in this new clip from the film, the title actually still has a lot to do with Coogan, particularly how he likes to do his business.
The film made its debut at Cannes last week, and early reports have been generally favourable thus far, with most describing it as a stylized and measured thriller, with great performances from the entire cast.
Synopsis:
Three dumb guys who think they’re smart rob a Mob protected card game, causing the local criminal economy to collapse. Brad Pitt plays the enforcer hired to track them down and restore order. KILLING THEM SOFTLY also features Richard Jenkins (THE VISITOR), James Gandolfini (“The Sopranos”), Ray Liotta (NARC), Scoot McNairy (MONSTERS), Ben Mendelsohn (ANIMAL KINGDOM), and Vincent Curatola (“The Sopranos”). Max Casella, Trevor Long, Slaine and Sam Shepard also make appearances. KILLING THEM SOFTLY is written for the screen and directed by Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), and is based on the George V. Higgins novel, “Coogan’s Trade.”
(Source: IGN)
Last Updated: May 28, 2012