Killing Them Softly (2012) ***1/2

On a rewatch (and after reading the source novel) this wasn't as good as I remembered. Still a very good film, but the novel is way better. All the best scenes are between Pitt and Gandolfini and Pitt and Jenkins but even then the tone is uneven (and off in general). The political overtones feel out of place (and were absent from the book). I can't help but look to THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE which perfectly translated that book to screen. Though the ending of KTS is clutch (but different than the book).