First Clip From ‘Killing Them Softly’ Shows a Beatdown

Andrew Dominik's 'Killing Them Softly' (originally titled 'Cogan's Trade') will be playing the Cannes film festival very shortly, and - as is par for the course with the films in competition - there's now a clip from the film online. It doesn't show star Brad Pitt, what it does show is an epic beatdown.

Here we see Ray Liotta on the receiving end of some trouble from the likes of Sam Shepard and Slaine. Shepard appeared in Dominik's last film 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,' while Slaine is best known as a regular in Ben Affleck's movies. Ray Liotta is Ray Liotta.

Dominik came to prominence when he launched Eric Bana's career with 'Chopper,' and though 'Assassination' was long delayed and went through numerous rounds of editing, what emerged was pretty close to a masterpiece. If nothing else the cinematography by Roger Deakins was award worthy (sadly, he was up against himself at the Oscars that year and split his own vote).

'Killing Them Softly' opens stateside September 21, but the word coming out of Cannes will partly dictate how the film is received. Regardless of the buzz, this one sequence - this one shot - makes the film something to keep an eye out for.

Warning: NSFW language: