The inmate steps outside the prison door, his eyes fluttering in the blasting sun. The only thing that can be heard is a radio, and on it a deep, authoritative voice. The voice talks about his promise to America, the changes he will bring to stimulate the economy. His face can be seen on the blue and red billboard standing overhead the prison compound.

Set during the 2008 presidential election between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, “Killing Them Softly” comments on the parallelism between the United States’ economic downfall and the mafia’s fiscal vulnerability. Brad Pitt plays the role of Jackie Cogan, a hit-man who is hired to execute two young robbers that jeopardize the underground market after robbing a poker game.

Director Andrew Dominik’s directorial choices suggest that the film is a theme-driven work rather than a cinematic overload of action sequences and heroic hubris. Through purposeful characterization and strikingly truthful storytelling, Dominik advocates an underlying reality: “In America, you’re on your own. America is not a country, it’s just a business,” in Cogan’s words.

Making a bold directorial choice, Dominik embeds real audio and video clips of the 2008 election throughout the movie, adding just the right amount of authenticity to the plot. As Obama’s message about hope and prosperity empowers the nation, the black market hits an all-time low. Crime associates, after hearing about the robbery, begin executing their accomplices, and crime recruiter Johnny Amato (Vincent Curatola) wants the two robbers dead. He admits that his hit men “are not the only smart guys in the world.”

Cue Jackie Cogan. Playing yet another unconventional character brilliantly, Pitt, in the role of Cogan, convincingly assumes the role of a hit man who considers himself quite the crime cop. By no means is he against the mafia; rather, a key player when it comes to killing according to a special rule book. His first rule: Kill ‘em softly and from a distance.

Pitt’s onscreen presence is remarkable. Despite the dialogue-heavy movie composed entirely of two-person scenes, he manages to develop certain mannerisms that make his character believable. For instance, in a scene where Johnny and Cogan plan out the execution of the two robbers, Johnny politely asks Cogan to not smoke in his Lexus. Pitt deliberately pauses to look down at the cigar, and maliciously stares at Johnny while lighting up.

“Killing Them Softly” is a no-nonsense film that cuts back on cinematic cliches to most accurately depict the coevolution of underground mafias and nations. Dominik’s crime thriller asserts an universal truth in the words of Cogan: “You hit a game in this town and it’s big money, and the worst they do, they beat you up.”

This movie has been rated R by Motion Picture Association of America.