Killing Them Softly is a 2012 American neo-noir crime film written and directed by Andrew Dominik, starring Brad Pitt.

The story follows Jackie Cogan, a hitman who is hired to deal with the aftermath of a Mafia poker game robbery that ruptured the criminal economy.

Also starring in the film are Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, Richard Jenkins, James Gandolfini, Ray Liotta, and Sam Shepard.

During the American financial crisis and presidential election campaign of 2008, Johnny "Squirrel" Amato plans to rob a Mafia-controlled private poker game.

He enlists Frankie, a former business associate, and Russell, a heroin-addicted Australian immigrant who steals purebred dogs to sell in Florida.

Though obviously inexperienced, Frankie and Russell successfully carry out the armed robbery, and escape with around one hundred thousand dollars.

[8] Dominik asked Pitt if he was interested in a role via a text message; he replied "yes" and the matter was settled over half an hour.

[18] Killing Them Softly premiered at the 65th Cannes Film Festival on May 22, 2012, where it was selected to be "In Competition" for the Palme D'Or; it lost to Amour.

The film was scheduled to be released in the United States on September 21, 2012; however it was delayed until November 30, 2012, to avoid competing with The Master and to improve its chances for award nominations.

The site's critical consensus reads: "Killing Them Softly is a darkly comic, visceral thriller that doubles as a cautionary tale on capitalism, whose message is delivered with sledgehammer force.

"[26] On Metacritic, the film received a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on 42 critics indicating "generally favorable reviews".

[27] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave Killing them Softly 5 stars, saying the film is a "compelling comment on economic bloodletting in the real world".

He also found the performances dependent mostly on the actors' established screen presences while pointing out improbabilities in the plot, such as how the mafia manages to support itself without crimes involving civilians: "Like a captive animal struggling to free itself from a trap, they seem reduced to gnawing off their own legs.