“I’m living in America. And in America, you’re on your own.”Â
If it seemed like Andrew Dominik would have trouble following up his classic period piece The Assassination of Jesse James, the latest trailer for Killing Them Softly should put any doubt to rest.
It’s a stylish, intense, and all-around enticing look at one of the most anticipated dramas of the Fall. Re-teaming with Brad Pitt and Sam Shepard while bringing on additional, impressive talent like James Gandolfini and Richard Jenkins, Killing Them Softly looks like  an entierly different beast than Jesse James, and a ferocious one at that. Dominik’s second film was a meticulously paced character study (and brilliant for it), while this one looks to be significantly more high-octane.
We’ve reached a point in the genre’s history where it’s hard to make any crime drama look truly fresh, but that’s what this trailer achieves. Using Johnny Cash’s stirring “When The Man Comes Around” is enough to get me pumped on its own, but when you throw in the remarkable visuals, intriguing performances (especially from Pitt, who just gets better with every film), and hints at a complex, fascinating story, you’ve got one of the best trailers, for any film, in a long time.
Color me psyched.
Check out the trailer below and tell us what you think:
When their poker game is knocked off by petty thieves, the Mob calls in their best enforcer, Jackie Cogan, to make things right. Under the eye of a mysterious driver, Jackie must track down and punish those responsible for the heist. His assignment is complicated by those he comes up against along the way – an aging, drunken hit man, some bumbling local gangsters, and the ladies’ man who ran the ill-fated game.
Killing Them Softly arrives in theatres October 19th.
