- In South Boston, best friends Brian (Mark Ruffalo) and Paulie (Ethan Hawke), turn to a life of crime in order to make a living. The first scene, during which Brian and Paulie participate in a heist gone bad, foreshadows how deep get into a criminal lifestyle. Then the film briefly flashes back to their teenage years to show how a tough crime boss, Pat (Brian Goodman), tempted them into becoming criminals to begin with. Many years later, Brian, now an adult, needs to support his wife, Stacy (Amanda Peet), and two kids while Paulie has no one to support but himself. Once again, they enter the world of thugs and work for Pat. Have they matured enough to find a rational way to straighten out their lifeup? Writer/director Brian Goodman spoils the answer to that question by showing the future heist scene at the very beginning. The dramatic tension lies instead on how Brian and Paulie will end up in that dangerous situation. After a detective (Donnie Wahlberg) catches them and throws them in prison for five years, Brian’s moral conscience gradually takes over and he begins to have second thoughts about working for Pat. Paulie pressures him to become a thug while his wife pressures him to lead a more tranquil lifestyle. That tug of war represents what’s going on in Brian’s mind as well, which adds some dramatic tension. Mark Ruffalo delivers an Oscar worthy performance that's both sensitive and surprisingly moving. It's very absorbing to watch as his character goes through internal transformations throughout the film. Brian is certainly a very flawed individual, as is Paulie, but at least he has a good heart somewhere inside him. The dramatic momentum slightly wanes when the film often skips ahead a few years in Brian’s life later on, which makes you wonder what went on during all that time. At least the organic screenplay allows you to care about him so that by the time the third act comes around, you want him to survive by making the right moral decisions. At a running time of 100 minutes, What Doesn’t Kill You manages to be a mostly gripping, well-acted and surprisingly engrossing crime drama.
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