Andrew Dominik's Cogan's Trade Now Titled 'Killing Them Softly'
The Weinsteins will release Andrew Dominik's heist thriller headlined by Brad Pitt on September 21st, 2012.
Update: There are several in the New Orleans area who claim that their local press covered some of the shoot last summer and usually referred to the movie as "Killing Them Softly", indicating that the title change was in the works long before The Weinsteins got involved. This would also seem to indicate it was of Dominik's choosing. But the change still sucks! The Weinstein Company got their hands on Andrew Dominik's heist thriller "Cogan's Trade" a couple of weeks ago and as well as giving the much anticipated film a September 21st, 2012 release date, they have also started tinkering with the film to suit their marketing. Variety reports that "Cogan's Trade" has been given a title switch to the much less interesting "Killing Them Softly" which is completely unnecessary from a creative point of view, but then the Weinsteins are here to make money and "killing" is a word that will bring in more asses to seats than "trade". Personally we loved the film noir sounding pulp title of the original rather than a "Steven Seagal action movie of the week" but I guess we can't speak for the general movie-goer. The film is based on George V. Higgins obscure novel "Cogan's Trade" and casts Pitt as Jackie Cogan, a professional enforcer who investigates a heist that went down during a mob-protected poker game believed to have been perpetrated by two junkies played by Scoot McNairy and Ben Mendelsohn. Described as a more serious Oceans Eleven and featuring a more sinisterly dark and humorous tone than his previous Western, Dominiks movie co-stars Ray Liotta (the hustler Mark Markie Trattman in charge of the game), Richard Jenkins (a lawyer in the know), James Gandolfini (a washed up hitman), Vincent Curatola (as an ex-convict seeking revenge) with additional roles for Sam Shephard and Bella Heathcote. This is the first movie from Dominik since the absolutely incredible "The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford". We are dying to see this one, no matter what the hell it is called. Though "Cogan's Trade" was mysterious, intriguing and cool... who would ever pick "Killing Them Softly" from a book shelf over that? I guess movies are different...