THIS TRAILER WON'T KILL YOU
- By Russ Fischer
- Published 11/29/2008
- News
Say 'Boston crime drama' these days and people yawn. I yawn, and I'm from Boston (OK, inasmuch as I'm from anywhere) and typically love seeing my old home onscreen and the names of former co-workers in the credit roll. So What Doesn't Kill You, which follows the travails of two hoodlum friends, starts off as a tough sell.
All you have to say, however, is Mark Ruffalo, and I'm in. He stars with Ethan Hawke as one of the two hoods, and both guys have been praised up and down since the Toronto fest for their performances. Hawke had previously lifted himself off my 'disregard' list with the TIFF '07 family crime drama Before The Devil Knows You're Dead, and this looks like a perfect continuation.
Then there's the fact that first-time director and co-writer Brian Goodman based some of the film on his own experiences. In my mind, that makes this movie the polar opposite of trash like The Boondock Saints, which is reason enough to want to see it.
The LA Times had a small version of the trailer as an exclusive last week; you should read that original article for some unadulturated gushing over the film.
All you have to say, however, is Mark Ruffalo, and I'm in. He stars with Ethan Hawke as one of the two hoods, and both guys have been praised up and down since the Toronto fest for their performances. Hawke had previously lifted himself off my 'disregard' list with the TIFF '07 family crime drama Before The Devil Knows You're Dead, and this looks like a perfect continuation.
Then there's the fact that first-time director and co-writer Brian Goodman based some of the film on his own experiences. In my mind, that makes this movie the polar opposite of trash like The Boondock Saints, which is reason enough to want to see it.
The LA Times had a small version of the trailer as an exclusive last week; you should read that original article for some unadulturated gushing over the film.
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Comments
Comment #1 (Posted by LD)
Mark Ruffalo may or may not be a nice guy but he's certainly a zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz screen presence. He never has chemistry (that I've seen) with his other leads, his characters all seem quite similar in how he plays them, and he seems to always bring the same 'Grammaton Cleric' level of expressivness into every film no matter the genre.
However, I'll try to keep the wisdom of the "what doesn't kill you..." saying whenever I'm trying to keep my finger off the fast forward button during Ruffalo's scenes in the otherwise excellent Zodiac.
Comment #2 (Posted by Metiphis)
Wow did you just call the Boondock Saints trash? I guess "I didn't like it" just isn't enough these days for shitheads that so desperately need to be heeded in the realm of film opinions.
I didn't enjoy Boondock Saints that much, but it certainly wasn't trash. I just have no tolerance for this "I didn't like it therefore it sucked" juvenile attitude.
Comment #3 (Posted by lazybonz)
What, you didn't hear? It's not cool to like the Boondock Saints anymore.
Comment #4 (Posted by Andrew)
The Boondock Saints is a poorly written, shot, and directed film. The only saving grace is a decent cast relentlessly chewing scenery, obviously the result of positive professional attitudes despite having been trapped into the uncreative vision of an inept egomaniac. It's not a matter of "coolness." Looking at the film from a technical perspective, it's trash with glimmers of gold. However, it is my not-at-all humble opinion that anyone who calls himself or herself a film aficionado and proclaims The Boondock Saints to be good actually knows nothing about film and should never be taken seriously in a serious discussion on the matter. People who like The Boondock Saints are the movie equivalent to self-proclaimed music experts who think Tool's recent excrements are beautiful and profound. I'm sorry, Russ. I'm sorry that your adopted city has been cinematically tainted, and I'm sorry that any association of this movie with quality rekindles my hatred, requiring me to anonymously bash it in a talkback.
Comment #5 (Posted by gigagnat)
Wow, two of Hollywoods most boring actors together. no thanks.
Comment #6 (Posted by Dick Cheese)
Boston is fucking boring. Crime dramas are played out. How about making some crime flicks in Detroit or Chicago, you know, cities that are actually scary?
Comment #7 (Posted by Chris)
I have never seen The Boondock Saints but I can proclaim with 99.9% accuracy that it sucks. The only reason anybody would say that film is good is because of its admittedly juicy development background - and its two egomaniacs' classic clash. Now if you want to see a good movie, rent the documentary about Troy Duffy.
Comment #8 (Posted by an unknown user)
Boondock Saints is the dictionary definition of trash.
Comment #9 (Posted by Adam)
Boondock Saints really is trash but i still like it.
Comment #10 (Posted by christ.)
when i first watched boondock saints at the age of 13 when it came out i thought it was incredible. but every time i've watched it since it just gets worse and worse of a film. the constant fading out at the end of each scene is just unbearable. it is mediocrity at its coolest. i hate the boondock saints.
