What Doesn't Kill You (2008)

I thought this was going to be something different, but I was pleasantly surprised by what it turned out to be, and then satisfied by what it became. For once it's nice to see the protagonist not screw it up despite never experiencing a "normal" life in favor of easy money.

There comes a point in the film when Paulie (Ethan Hawke) gets out of prison, ready to re-corrupt his best friend. I was expecting a fight between Brian (Mark Ruffalo), who gives the strongest performance, and Brian's wife Stacy (Amanda Peet), leading him to follow through with an armored car heist, only to condemn his fate by going back to prison. This would've been similar to Carlito's Way. Unlike that film, What Doesn't Kill You avoids being a letdown and escapes the "can't fight nature" hangup so many crime movies fall back on.

There wasn't as much violence, sex and edginess as usual in crime films. I feel torn about this because it can be a refreshing decrease, but there are scenes that seem to be equally underwhelming repetitions of those already past, from scantily clad women who spend their time laying around either before or after or without sex while the boys are busy doing meager stickups. Meanwhile, Ruffalo spends a lot of time doing drugs that could've been better used.

Moreover, it would've been nice for the film to embrace a larger scope to more deeply establish the bonds of friendship and familiarity that would have someone running back to the only life they'd ever known. As a fan of Hawke & Ruffalo, I felt they had nice chemistry together. The smoldering romance between Ruffalo & Peet also felt genuine. Alas, after seeing one powerfully heated argument between them late in the film, I would've loved to see more passion at some point during their relationship. The only saving grace is a fervid lovemaking scene when Ruffalo is released after serving a 5 year sentence.

Overall, there is still enough warmth and believability even if these bonds were built in the background as the film jumps through long periods of time. I think of What Doesn't Kill You as valuable but carefully guarded package that could've been left out in the snow a bit longer.