Killing Them Softly

Transposing George V. Higgins’ crime novel "Cogan’s Trade" from the ’70s to the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, this bracing thriller finds hit man Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt) checking out the circumstances surrounding an ambitious theft of cash from a mob-organized poker game in New Orleans. Cogan’s been asked to provide "stimulus" in the form of sending the guilty an unmistakable message. With James Gandolfini, Ray Liotta, Scoot McNairy, and Richard Jenkins. 98 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital 5.1; Subtitles: English (SDH), Spanish; "making of" featurette; deleted scenes.