Classic Crime Thriller With Multiple Sopranos Stars Needs A Better Streaming Home

For those who haven’t seen the film, Killing Them Softly is a critical dissection of Boston’s criminal underworld in 2008. It serves as a thinly-veiled metaphor for the financial crisis of the time, which threatened to plunge the entire world into a global recession.

In the film, the economy of illegal gambling is thrown into an upheaval when a local mob associate gets the bright idea to rob an executive game. The associate, played by The Sopranos‘ Vincent Curatola, hires a pair of mindless drug addicts to knock off the event, ultimately causing a ripple effect that prevents any mobsters from earning money.

The mob, which is portrayed as a Congress-like committee, then hires hitman fixer Jackie Cogan to hunt down the responsible parties and ensure that people can get back out onto the streets and earn again.

This relationship serves as a stand-in for the American government, which gave high-figure bailouts to major industries such as auto and banking. By the time Killing Them Softly builds to its thrilling conclusion, many bodies hit the floor, plenty of money is lost, and the world just keeps on turning.

All the while, numerous clips of Barack Obama can be seen in the background, further cementing the film’s setting and themes.

Australian filmmaker Andrew Dominik helmed Killing Them Softly as both the writer and director, though the film’s screenplay was based on a 1974 novel titled Cogan’s Tirade.

The film stars the likes of Brad Pitt, Richard Jenkins, Ben Mendelsohn, and Scoot McNairy.

As mentioned, Vincent Curatola takes a front-and-center role in the movie alongside other Sopranos alumni, such as Max Casella, James Gandolfini, and Ray Liotta, who joined the Sopranos universe with a dual role in 2021’s The Many Saints of Newark.

I originally stumbled onto Killing Them Softly a few years ago after my very first binge-watch of The Sopranos, mostly because I was itching to see more exceptional performances from James Gandolfini.

After having spent numerous hours watching the Tony Soprano performer’s work, I can confidently say that this film boasts one of his best roles, despite his appearance totaling something like 8 minutes of actual screen time.

Critics far and wide tend to agree, as the film currently touts a 74 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.

If I had it my way, this classic film would be available to stream on every television in the United States and beyond. Unfortunately, those interested in catching Killing Them Softly today will have to rely on a Hulu account with a Cinemax add-on. The film was available on Max at one point in the past, so there’s always a chance that the streaming rights will change down the line.

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