What Doesn't Kill You (2008)

To me, this movie is perfection.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Blistering performances.

WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU is a film which has familiarity working against it. It's a working class crime drama about a couple of brothers who live in a world of petty theft, general criminality and drugs, and the story sees one of them trying to go straight and make good for his family. The film is based on the experiences of writer/director Brian Goodman, but the tropes are so similar to many films which have come before that the viewer feels rather jaded by it all.Saying that, the film does have one saving grace, which is a lead role for Mark Ruffalo. Others like Donnie Wahlberg and Ethan Hawke are okay, but it's Ruffalo who shines in a star-making turn here. Ruffalo has been one of my favourite modern actors in Hollywood for a while, delivering compelling performances in ZODIAC and SPOTLIGHT among others, and he's equally authentic here; you can see the anguish lurking behind his eyes. Without Ruffalo, this would have been a slog to sit through; with him it's pretty decent.

Life long friends Brian Reilly (Mark Ruffalo) and Paulie McDougan (Ethan Hawke) are from South Boston struggling in a life of crime. The movie starts with an armor truck robbery. Then it flashbacks to kids doing petty theft. As young men, they are thugs for the local boss. Times are tough and they're reduced to a job dognapping a poodle. Brian is a bad druggie husband to Stacy Reilly (Amanda Peet) and the kids. The duo starts robbing drug dealers which gets them into trouble. Brian gets shot badly and then they're arrested.It's another movie about the low life in South Boston. It has a couple of great actors doing good jobs. It has the sense of the place. However there are better movies of its kind elsewhere. Its main failing is the comparison. Nevertheless Ruffalo does an outstanding performance.

This was a pretty intense movie, but it felt as though as I watching it in fast forward. What Doesn't Kill You is the story of two brothers, who grow up in poverty and whom turned to organized crime to survive. For fifteen years, they did what they were told, but with the boss on his way to prison, they decide to go off on their own. Admittedly, it's a tremendous story that follows the paths of these brothers over the course of the next few years, the problem was that in this movie, years translate into about 10 minute intervals. Instead of giving us a complete and accurate portrayal, the director decided to cut the story into small fragments, usually no longer than a minute or two. Something is said, something happens, and then were on to another something, when? where? who knows!? The movie moved so fast and was so choppy, that it left my head spinning. Despite the confusion, it was pretty entertaining and Mark Ruffalo gives an unbelievable performance. Here's another example of a guy I've seen around, never thought much of, who randomly shows up in a B-movie and just makes the whole film worth watching. If you're able to keep up, and this movie doesn't confuse you into an absolute stupor, it's not bad. The story is solid, the cast is good, and it has it's moments, but again only if you can get passed the ridiculous pace the director has decided to set for us.

First time ever to see Ethan, he was outstanding. Have liked Ruffalo's acting since Zodiac, have seen very few actors with the on-screen believability portrayed here, he was spot-on as a tough kid, temperamental, mean on the outside, soft underneath when it came to friends and their family. As a crime kid, he knows no other way, and of course feels screwed when life comes up short. the only think that holds Brian together is his kids once he realizes how bad he has let them and their Mother down. Storyline is very good, acting superb down to the bit actors, and the Boston landscape and people are what I would picture them to be in these neighborhoods. Would love to see where the filming was done some day. Reall an underrated film I caught a part of one night and got the DVD and have seen it at least ten times, each time gets better. Love Amanda Peet. she too was the first time ever seeing her in a movie. Such dedication to put up with a guy like Brian all those years. Definitely worth watching at least once. Maybe ten times?