• Anytime you’re a director and Rex Reed calls you “pretentious’ you’re onto something as an artist
  • The film is overt in its tones- cynical, political and nihilistic. I love all three. It’s not “what” Dominik is saying about the politics but how he says it I enjoy. It’s an ongoing visual and aural (not subtle) motif and caps it with that great ending line by Pitt. “In America, you’re on your own. Now fucking pay me.”
  • Visuals- dilapidated houses. Detailed costume and décor- Mendelsohn is sweaty and disheveled to say the least
  • Opens with Obama, Bush speech during poker game (not realistic but we’re working on something here with Dominik)—the film is soaked in this financial/political speak stemming from the crisis in 2008. CSPAN on and talk radio
  • 23 minutes in intro to Pitt in a 97 minute movie. Gandolfini is even later as “Mickey”- he’s very good as is Mendelsohn. It’s a superb ensemble. In 97 minutes Dominik packs in these three, Liotta, Sam Shepard (blink and you’ll miss him) and Richard Jenkins
  • There’s gorgeous photography throughout. Liotta getting beat up in the rain is stunning
  • The single greatest scene is the killing of Liotta through the windshield (almost like a spider web in a very detailed slow-motion photography sequence). It’s a stunner
  • Meticulously edited. The scene of Mendelsohn going in and out of sleep on heroin and sleep deprivation is a fine mini-montage as well
  • Recommend and ultimately a little disappointing that after jesse james in 2007 Dominik can’t put together a top 10 of the year quality film