WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU

US, 2008, 100 minutes, Colour.
Mark Ruffalo, Ethan Hawke, Amanda Peet, Brian Goodman, Donnie Wahlberg, Angela Featherstone.
Directed by Brian Goodman.

What Doesn’t Kill You is based on the early life of actor, writer-director Brian Goodman. It is another of those South Boston crime stories, a picture of families and petty criminals.

The film has an atmospheric setting, Mark Ruffalo and Ethan Hawke portray childhood friends who used to run errands for a criminal, Pat Kelly, played by Brian Goodman. When they grow up, they want to get more money, become more ruthless and brutal in their running the behest of the crime leader. Eventually, they are caught and sentenced to prison. In the meantime, the Mark Ruffalo character has married, has two children, tends to neglect his family, becomes addicted to cocaine. In prison he has the option to reform himself, especially with the influence of an Alcoholics Anonymous leader. In the meantime, Ethan Hawke remains hardened in his attitudes towards his friends, towards women, towards making money. After their release, the Ruffalo character falls on hard times, is tempted to take part in an armoured car robbery (and imagines what it would be like as well as it going wrong). He opts out and opts for a better life with family, and AA meetings. In the meantime, Ethan Hawke’s character has done the armed robbery but has been caught.

To this extent, while the film is a portrait of young criminals, parallel to those stories of Hell’s Kitchen in New York, it finishes as a cautionary tale.

1. A South Boston story, tough, crime, family? The range of films focusing on this area of Boston?

2. The use of the city skyline and buildings? Boston, as a city, the streets, homes – and their changing over the years, the gentrification? Bars, warehouses? The drug world?

3. Prison, the atmosphere, the cells, corridors, the yards, offices?

4. The director and his own experience, the film based on a true story?

5. The opening with the armoured car robbery, Paulie and his threatening the policeman? This later being revealed as a fiction, Brian and his imagining it later, the disaster? His fears, his decision? The ending and Paulie actually in an armoured car robbery?

6. The boys, stealing goods, giving them to Pat Kelly, his getting them to collect items for him, fifty dollars payment? Their life, friendship, Brian and the girl? Their watching Kelly and his taking the money to the car, the shooting?

7. The transition to adulthood, the years passing, the odd jobs, still stealing, going into the bars, brutalising people? The standover tactics? Paulie and his attitude to money, his motivation, Brian tagging along?

8. Brian’s story, his marriage, still in crime, getting money, giving it to Stacy? Too busy to care for his children, the love for Stacy, the restaurant sequence, her jealousy of the waitress? Brian and his drinking, the two getting into drugs, the deals, double crossing, the brutal world of drugs, his buying the drugs, his addiction? His being shot? Hospital, anger, walking out? Paulie and the confrontation?

9. Paulie, his friend, influence, the different jobs, tough, friendship towards Stacy, Kath, the kids?

10. Pat Kelly in the bar, Jack and his orders? The dealers, the fake robberies, the delivery of the goods? The payments?

11. The policeman and his watching Paulie and Brian, his reappearance throughout the film, warnings, Brian and his reaction, being spooked by him?

12. The drugs, the double deals, the brutality of the dealers, the shootings and bashings? The next job, stealing televisions, the arrest, their being sentenced to jail?

13. Life in jail, five years sentence? Supporting each other? Pat Kelly in jail, his connections? The exercise, Brian getting better? The episode with the child molester, the guard giving them the keys, their bashing him? The warden and his reaction, Paulie and his accepting ninety days’ solitary while Brian was able to leave at the end of his sentence?

14. Brian and the Alcoholics Anonymous man, knowing him from the past, going to the meetings in jail, the encouragement, Brian and his wariness about prayer?

15. Stacy, before Brian went to jail, upset, the kids, her visits to the prison, his getting out, her love for him, the meals, the younger boy and his love for his father, the older boy and his reaction, mellowing, the sport?

16. Brian and his looking for jobs, small jobs, part-time, the Alcoholics Anonymous leader and his contacts? Paulie getting out, Paulie’s own life, with women, collecting money, the confrontations with Brian for the gas payment and his reaction, overbearing with the man to wave to Stacy? The nuns ringing for the school payment?

17. Brian and his being tempted, Paulie and the armoured car robbery, the difficulty of doing it in daylight, the imagined scenario, Brian imagining the disaster, his decision to say no?

18. His decision, improving as a character, the sport, with his family, his sons? The contrast with Paulie?

19. Life on the streets, the working class, crime? A cautionary tale?