For a true-crime story, there's surprisingly little dramatic arc.
Comment
06/07/09
What Doesn't Kill You (2008)
66
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:32
Fresh:21
Rotten:11
Average Rating:6/10
Synopsis: For his assured directorial debut, character actor Brian Goodman reaches into his troubled past. WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU tells the tale of two best friends who grew up in South Boston and fell into a... [More]
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Ethan Hawke, Amanda Peet, Will Lyman
Director: Brian Goodman
Reviews for What Doesn't Kill You
Kill You, while stewing in the juices of unapologetic formula, is a more of a direct injection of stark criminal behavior punctuated by exhilarating performances and a soulful dedication to the moody rhythms of despair.
04/21/09
A mostly gripping, well-acted and surprisingly engrossing crime drama. Mark Ruffalo delivers an Oscar worthy performance that's both sensitive and surprisingly moving.
01/31/09
The film is caught in the tension between wanting to provide depth of social implication and gunplay action but the symbiosis doesn't multiply the effect.
01/24/09
No review available.
01/03/09
The overfamiliarity of What Doesn't Kill You is redeemed by a full-scale performance from Mark Ruffalo.
12/19/08
Goodman doesn’t allow even a hint of postmodernism or self-consciousness to creep into What Doesn’t Kill You, and though the movie’s various heists and shootouts are gripping, they aren’t especially kinetic or stylish.
12/19/08
Been there, seen that-many times-is the best one can say for this wholly predictable autobiographical account of a life in crime.
12/17/08
I thought that Brian Goodman managed to put us in this hardscrabble South Boston neighborhood.
12/15/08
Nothing really going on here
12/15/08
...undoubtedly benefits from Ruffalo's electrifying turn as Brian...
12/14/08
The film is well done, gritty and raw, clearly showing the desperation in a city where opportunities are limited and crime is just another job. Ethan Hawke is a pretty risky choice as he just screams supermodel, not gangster, but after a bit of drooling,
12/13/08
I guess I should just be happy it didn't end up worse and hope these guys don't come hurt me for saying all this.
12/12/08
It feels, if not like real life, at least like a movie you haven't seen before.
12/12/08
Top CriticThis is a rare case of a movie that improves dramatically as it goes along.
12/12/08
The territory is familiar, both geographically and thematically. But that doesn't detract from its authenticity and power.
12/12/08
Top CriticRather it tells a good story well, and in the process quietly says a little something about what it means to look at the American dream from the bottom up.
12/12/08
Top CriticIt's admirable that Brian Goodman came back from life on the streets, two jail terms and a bad drug habit to make a movie, but considering its real life genesis the movie feels awfully warmed over
12/12/08
Though hardly a failure, What Doesn't Kill You is in the final measure definitely not what it could have been.
12/11/08
Simply too familiar and ponderous to succeed in a genre with movies as riveting as The Departed.
12/11/08
Latest News for What Doesn't Kill You
December 09, 2008:
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