This is based on the true story of a psychotic mafia hit man who killed dozens of people in the 60’s and 70’s. I wish I could say the film was great, but it’s just so-so. Still, there is a great performance at the center of it.
What Works: In two words: Michael Shannon. As the titular assassin, a man who somehow passes as a boring family man in addition to a stone-cold, screws-loose contract killer, the always-fascinating Shannon (who’s destined for bigger things after starring as the villain in this summer’s Superman movie) draws you to him by doing very little. He’s the exact right actor to play a stoic killer who’s slowly being undone by his own paranoia, and he keeps you hooked on what he’s not saying. The quiet moments right before he kills someone for what—–to the audience—–seems like very little are scarier than most of this year’s horror films. Plus, it’s nice to see some against type casting for David Schwimmer (as a fuck-up Jewish mobster) and Chris Evans (as another assassin). And Ray Liotta continues his career resurgence after The Place Beyond the Pines.
What Doesn’t Work: The domestic scenes with Winona Ryder as his wife never have much of a pulse. And the mob logistics are never very clear. It’s difficult to tell who works for who and who’s connected to who. To call some of the last half of this film confusing would be understating it. Also, there’s a muted, washed-out color scheme that often makes the action feel sleepier than it is.
What I Would Have Done Differently: The film should have been tighter and more unique. As is, it feels like we’re watching the same Goodfellas/Casino/Scorsese story of the mob in this time period that we’ve all seen before.