KILLING THEM SOFTLY (Rated R)

The bleak landscape of small-time gangster thriller “Killing Them Softly” rests not just with urban decay, but with the backdrop of the run-up to the 2008 presidential election.

Based on the George V. Higgins novel, “Cogan’s Trade,” this criminal enterprise film involves petty hoods and sleazy losers who are pretty much oblivious to world affairs and the economic meltdown.

As if to create a sense of impending doom, “Killing Them Softly” makes plentiful use of radio and TV clips of posturing by various political figures to underscore the gravity of America’s financial crisis.

The political chatter is little more than background noise to the crooks and wiseguys who foolishly scheme to rob a high-stakes mob-protected poker game. Even in a bad economy, they just want a quick score for big bucks.

A longtime hanger-on in the underworld, Johnny Amato (Vincent Curatola), now in the dry-cleaning business, has come up with a slick plan to rob the card game run by regular dealer Markie Trattman (Ray Liotta).

To complete the actual theft, Johnny turns to jittery young crook Frankie (Scoot McNairy), who is fresh out of jail and flat broke. In other words, Frankie is the perfect patsy.

For his part, Frankie makes the dubious choice of tapping for a partner his drug-addled friend Russell (Ben Mendelsohn), a gleefully seedy Australian junkie whose latest criminal enterprise involves dog theft.

The Markie Trattman card game is a convenient target because Markie once imprudently boasted of his complicity in a robbery of one of his own mob-protected games.

Naturally, the conspirators are only too certain that the mob’s suspicion will fall immediately upon Markie, the guy most likely to know all the inside information.

With more bluster than brains, Frankie and Russell manage to pull off the robbery and escape without being recognized. But only a fool believes in a foolproof plan.

And there’s the rub. While the low-rent hoods are congratulating themselves, the mob takes drastic steps to deal with this situation, bringing in the seasoned enforcer Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt).

Dealing through the mob’s buttoned-up middle manager Driver (Richard Jenkins), Jackie is hired to investigate the heist and restore the criminal status quo. It won’t be easy or pretty.

While Jackie is cool, cynical and detached, his usually efficient manner is constrained by the bureaucratic mentality of the unseen mob bosses who expect Driver to communicate their instructions.

The essential imperative for Jackie is not only to mete out punishment, but to deliver a message to would-be thieves that no one is beyond the reach of a criminal enterprise jealously guarding its turf.

Though he’s the consummate professional, Jackie finds it’s frustrating to navigate mounting complications, so he brings in trusted colleague Mickey (James Gandolfini) to assist with the assignment.

The once reliable Mickey has now become surprisingly unpredictable, seeing how he’s much more interested in overindulging in alcohol and prostitutes than taking care of business.

A gangster thriller that involves contract killers is bound to be violent. “Killing Them Softly” certainly has its share of mayhem, including one of the most brutally grotesque beatings of recent memory.

But this crime story plays out to a different tempo than others in the genre. Indeed, the violence is either sadistically brutal or just simmering below the surface, keeping the audience on edge.

Surprisingly, the hoodlums are often garrulous, talking at great lengths often to the point of annoyance. This is particular true when the dimwitted Frankie and Russell prattle on like high school stoners.

The political context frequently gets in the way of the film’s essentially nihilistic worldview. Quite frankly, it seems unlikely that hoods would hang out in dive bars where C-SPAN is the TV channel of choice.

“Killing Them Softly” also goes against the grain by doing unusual things like making Ray Liotta a relatively sympathetic figure and James Gandolfini even more malevolent than his turn on “The Sopranos.”

The film’s saving grace is Brad Pitt’s unflappable, subdued performance as the world-weary hired gun. And when his Jackie has a conversation with Mickey or Driver, it’s worth paying attention.

“Killing Them Softly” is not effortlessly categorized, and as such, it may not find its audience easy to reach. In short, this film was not made for hardcore action junkies.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

This column space has frequently extolled the virtues of vintage TV series being released on DVD. I am not about to stop the practice now.

Once again, it is a pleasure to announce the DVD release of a classic detective show, this time “Mannix: The Final Season,” where Mike Connors still does the hard-boiled, gritty private eye gig.

“The Final Season” is the eighth year that Connors’ Joe Mannix defies the rules and protocols while fighting crime on the streets of Los Angeles.

The series also prominently featured Gail Fisher, who had the distinction, according to Wikipedia, of being one of the first African-American actresses to have a regular TV series role.

Whatever the case, Fisher and Connors made a great team in fighting the bad guys. “The Final Season” demonstrates that the series retained its vitality to the very end.

“Mannix: The Final Season” offers nearly 20 hours of high-speed car chases, flying bullets and fistfights. Through it all, Joe Mannix takes a beating and keeps on ticking.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

FORT BRAGG, Calif. – Celebrate the holidays with a something for the whole family.

The Pops Orchestra, under the direction of Les Pfutzenreuter, will play your favorite holiday music with special guests In the Mix, The Acafellas, Sine Nomine, Dan Fowler, and the Fort Bragg High School Choir.

There will be a Mexican Posada, snacks and treats, pictures with Santa, and during the day a Craft Fair, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Festivities begin at 6 p.m. and the concert at 7 p.m.

Tickets are available at the door, Harvest Market, Tangents and Out of This World, and online at www.symphonyoftheredwoods.org .

For information call 707-964-0898.

Here’s a poem for this season by Tim Nolan, of Minnesota. Once we begin to be thankful for things, there are more and more things to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving

Thanks for the Italian chestnuts—with their
tough shells—the smooth chocolaty
skin of them—thanks for the boiling water—

itself a miracle and a mystery—
thanks for the seasoned sauce pan
and the old wooden spoon—and all

the neglected instruments in the drawer—
the garlic crusher—the bent paring knife—
the apple slicer that creates six

perfect wedges out of the crisp Haralson—
thanks for the humming radio—thanks
for the program on the radio

about the guy who was a cross-dresser—
but his wife forgave him—and he
ended up almost dying from leukemia—

(and you could tell his wife loved him
entirely—it was in her deliberate voice)—
thanks for the brined turkey—

the size of a big baby—thanks—
for the departed head of the turkey—
the present neck—the giblets

(whatever they are)—wrapped up as
small gifts inside the cavern of the ribs—
thanks—thanks—thanks—for the candles

lit on the table—the dried twigs—
the autumn leaves in the blue Chinese vase—
thanks—for the faces—our faces—in this low light.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2012 by Tim Nolan, from his most recent book of poems, And Then, New Rivers Press, 2012. Poem reprinted by permission of Tim Nolan and the publisher. Introduction copyright © 2012 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Local farmer and fiddler Teale Love will be the guest performer at the Lake County Community Co-op’s annual Gratitude Gathering Dec. 1.

The event will begin at 6 p.m. at the Riviera Homeowners Club House at 9689 Soda Bay Road across from the the Riviera Market.

The potluck event is open to the public, co-op customers and owners.
 
Love, a retired minister who purchased 20 acres with his wife Chris in Lake County in 1997, offers his organically grown produce through the co-op and raises goats in the Kelseyville area.

He plays Irish fiddle with various groups throughout the county, including Uncorked, and had played weekly at Mollie Brennan’s beginning in 2007.
 
“Teale is such a genuine soul. His fiddling is straight from the heart. Very uplifting,” noted co-op member JoAnn Saccato, “and his organically grown produce is some of the best that we offer.”
 
Love will play at the co-op’s annual Gratitude Gathering, a potluck event that will feature free give aways, recognition of co-op participants and a reflection of the year’s activities.
 
For more information on the event, visit the co-op’s Web site at www.lake.coop or call 707-513-5226.

For more information on Teale Love, visit his Web site at www.lovefarms.net .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Theatre Co. is planning auditions for its next play, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.”

The play, which also was adapted for the big screen, is based on the classic novel by Ken Kesey.

There are parts available for 13 men and four women.

Auditions will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, and Wednesday, Dec. 5.

An additional audition and possible callbacks will be held on Saturday, Dec. 8, at 10 a.m.

All auditions will be held at the Gard Street School Theater in Kelseyville.

Performances will take place the first three weekends of March.

If you have any questions, contact the director, Armand Plato, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Visit the company’s Web site at www.lcrt.org/ .

RED DAWN (Rated PG-13)

During the height of the Cold War, at a time when President Ronald Reagan identified the Soviet Union as the “evil empire,” director John Milius tapped into the 1980s zeitgeist with the original “Red Dawn.”

The 1984 film became a cult-classic that showcased young actors Charlie Sheen, Lea Thompson, C. Thomas Howell, and Jennifer Grey, along with a slightly older Patrick Swayze.

The original premise of “Red Dawn” involved the Soviets invading the United States, followed by the resistance movement that arises when a group of heroic teenagers band together to repel the occupying force.

Fast forward to 2012, and the principal foe is now North Korea, launching a full-scale attack on the Pacific Northwest. You’d think that China would be the more likely invaders, but they are probably waiting to see if we’ll repay our national debt first.

The face of the enemy has changed, but the tactics employed by the guerrilla insurgency are pretty much the same. Once again, it’s up to a bunch of kids to be the frontline of freedom fighters.

A few minutes pass after the obligatory introduction of the primary teen characters, and “Red Dawn” kicks into high gear with a most unexpected aerial attack of North Korean paratroopers descending on Spokane, Wash.

A murderous, cruel Captain Cho (Will Yun Lee) moves his troops so quickly through town that barely a handful of teens make a getaway to the woods outside town, while most others are rounded up like concentration camp victims.

Jed (Chris Hemsworth), an Iraq War veteran, and Matt (Josh Peck), the high school quarterback, are brothers whose father, Tom Eckert (Brett Cullen), is a ranking police officer.

The Eckert family has the natural instinct to fight back. As such, Jed, as the result of his military training, becomes the de facto leader of a budding rebel group that includes mostly Matt’s high school pals.

As the quarterback of the high school football team, Matt enlists classmates and friends, including Robert (Josh Hutcherson), the tech geek, and Daryl (Connor Cruise), the mayor’s son.

Other members of the core group include Danny (Edwin Hodge), the star receiver and Matt’s best friend, and Toni (Adrianne Palicki), a pretty girl with a major crush on Jed. Meanwhile, Matt’s cheerleader girlfriend Erica (Isabel Lucas) is incarcerated in an internment camp.

As a battle-tested Marine on leave, Jed knows what it takes to live off the land while improvising effective insurgent attacks upon the unsuspecting North Koreans who may be growing complacent after the ease with which they conquered the Pacific Northwest.

Early on, the North Korean invaders prove themselves to be murderous villains, randomly killing civilians for the slightest infractions and generally terrorizing the population into subservience.

Bonding as a team, the rebel youth take on the moniker of “Wolverines,” in honor of the football squad. That Jed’s younger brother is a hothead results in some complications, considering that he’s fixated on liberating his girlfriend from a heavily guarded prison camp.

Nevertheless, the Wolverines gradually become more efficient in carrying out random acts of violence against the symbols of foreign occupation, going so far as to wipe out command posts, patrol units and fortified areas.

“Red Dawn” becomes the fantasy revenge picture it was intended to be. The idea of North Korea successfully invading America is far-fetched, to say the least, but the audience nonetheless delights in well-orchestrated action sequences that involve plenty of explosions and gunfights.

During the course of the insurgency, the young fighters are joined by a trio of grizzled retired Marines led by the spirited Tanner (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), just in time for a major vital assault on the occupier’s main communications center.

“Red Dawn” is solid for its action, which mainly requires the insurgents to take their fight to the streets in a gripping attempt to outwit and overcome the intruders, causing major disruptions with nicely timed explosions and gunfire ambushes.

Notwithstanding the wickedness of the communist enemy, “Red Dawn” seems so implausible that if the lunatic Kim Jong-Il were still alive, even he would probably have a difficult time accepting the premise. But the little creep would be thrilled with the notion.

The bulk of “Red Dawn” is all about the action, thereby becoming the type of contemporary action thriller that is, simply put, satisfying popcorn fare.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

A gangster film that plays more like a Western, “Lawless” captured the brutality of a Prohibition-era battle between moonshiners and corrupt lawmen. Now it’s available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Inspired by the biographical novel “The Wettest County in the World,” the film version of the adventures of the Bondurant Brothers follows a quest for a piece of the American Dream, albeit an illegal one.

The three brothers (Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy and Jason Clarke) fight to maintain their hold on the bootlegging business that is under attack from urban gangsters.

The youngest brother aspires to become Public Enemy No. 1, reaping the benefits that go along with the trappings of a dangerous criminal.

A mysterious woman named Maggie (Jessica Chastain) enters the picture, working in the family business and becoming the girlfriend to the oldest brother.

Living up (or is it down?) to its name, “Lawless” has plenty of brutal violence, with guns blazing aplenty. Special features include “The True Story of the Wettest County in the World.”

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.