Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt), the head enforcer of this picture, actually has scruples if you can believe that. He is cold, calculated, methodical, and effective, but he has his preferences as far as how to kill. He prefers to avoid the emotional response of the target so as not to get wrapped up in all that mushy stuff. This movie is dark and eerie, taking place in dirty big old town U.S.A. with characters being transported around in big old cars. The weather is always rainy, or at least overcast. So is the overall mood. Set in late 2008, the background is filled with the Obama / McCain campaign talk. Underlying message here perhaps? Perhaps. This story is a bad guy vs. bad guy romp so you get to pick your favorite bad guy to root for. Kind of reminds me a little of how the Joker took on the mob in The Dark Knight, or even Porter taking on the syndicate in Payback. Those movies were fun thrillers. This one is also a thriller but just not as fun. This can be good or it can be bad. It’s good from an artistic aspect in that it is different from your typical mainstream movies of this genre. It has more of an independent film feel to it. This is also bad because it might not sit well with mainstream movie watchers who might be expecting more. This could hurt in the box office, but hey, movie making is not all about the box office . . . sometimes . . . rarely. What this movie IS about is the acting and the characters, and some good cinematography too. There is no doubt the drama aspect of the film is well done with good performances from a talented cast working with a solid script. Oh yeah, now I remember, it also reminds me a bit of Reservoir Dogs, yeah, that’s it. It can be slow at times with a good amount of story telling amongst the characters. There was one thing that was also slow that really stood out and that was one of the kills in the movie. It’s in super slow mo and boy was it cool, unlike anything I can remember seeing before. READ FULL REVIEW