A simple, effective story given the hey-let's-get-this-into-Cannes treatment - which results in some wonderful scenes and moments but it doesn't quite work as a piece. Brad Pitt deserves kudos for getting this made, and he's very good in what is, at bottom, a superhero role - a killer who is smarter and tougher and more principled (in his way) than anyone else in the film.
Support turns are great too - Ben Mendhelson's Aussie accent was a bit jarring (you don't expect to find Aussies in that sort of environment) but he was terrific as was Scoot McAir. Richard Jenkins, Ray Liotta and James Gandolfini were strong too although Gandolfini's two monologues felt repetitive and also a bit too much this-is-a-long-scene-to-attract-Gandolfini-to-the-role.
The stuff about the GFC and the 2008 elections felt like it was gilding the lily too much (my head hurt afterwards from having subtext bashed on me) as did Pitt's final speech about Thomas Jefferson. Memorable set pieces such as the heroin sequence, the dogs and the opening credits, some good action.
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