1. Killing Them Softly
Im still in a little bit of shock at just how poorly Killing Them Softly was received. If Paul Thomas Anderson and Sam Mendes hadnt so masterfully deconstructed our modern views on masculinity in such spot on, but completely different ways, Andrew Dominiks sublime gangster flick could easily have snagged the top spot in my list of 2012s best films. Not letting the success of the incredibly long (in both runtime and title) The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford mislead him into making another epic, Killing Them Softly was a brief film with modest aims it more than succeeded at. Masterfully playing with the audiences perspective in a way that makes Hitchcocks switches in Psycho look clunky, the film was constantly changing which character was our relatable element. This was a trick used throughout, with long dialogue scenes to get deep into what mattered most to each of the characters and the action being shot dependent on the person committing it; Cogans kills are artistic and soft while less experienced hitmens attempts are scrappily executed. Of course, the aspect many focused on was the overt dissection of the American dream. Many misunderstood the constant background stream of Obamas rise as in your face, whereas in fact Dominik used it to highlight how all the events were heavily influenced by the greater world and yet no one paid any attention to them. All except for Brad Pitts Cogan, who at the films climax finally lets rip on his, and the films, beliefs.
Did you like any of these movies too? Or do you side with the majority? Any more unpopular films you still love? Have your say in the comments.