For a true-crime story, there's surprisingly little dramatic arc.
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06/07/09
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What Doesn't Kill You (2008)
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Reviews Counted:32
Fresh:21
Rotten:11
Average Rating:6/10
Theatrical Release:Dec 12, 2008 Limited
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
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Reviews for What Doesn't Kill You
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
Nothing really going on here
12/15/08
I thought that Brian Goodman managed to put us in this hardscrabble South Boston neighborhood.
12/15/08
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
Though hardly a failure, What Doesn't Kill You is in the final measure definitely not what it could have been.
12/11/08
The territory is familiar, both geographically and thematically. But that doesn't detract from its authenticity and power.
12/12/08
Goodman's directing shows a sure hand at the Irish Goodfellas genre, and his actors (including Goodman himself) rally to give the picture plenty of credibility.
09/15/08
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
...undoubtedly benefits from Ruffalo's electrifying turn as Brian...
12/14/08
There's a realism to this story we don't often see in crime dramas, and that can only have come from someone who actually lived through it themselves.
12/09/08
The story is generic and uncompelling, coming across as just another gritty drama about a major city's criminal underbelly.
09/20/08
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
Little more than a middling variation on gangster thematics, better explored in The Sopranos and elsewhere.
12/10/08
Simply too familiar and ponderous to succeed in a genre with movies as riveting as The Departed.
12/11/08
No gold star for originality, but nicely acted crime tale.
11/30/08
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
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
It'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
A tough, authentic street drama born, bred, and shot in the no-spin zone of working-class South Boston.
12/03/08
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December 09, 2008:
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