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      What Doesn't Kill You

      R Released Dec 12, 2008 1 hr. 40 min. Crime Drama List
      66% 35 Reviews Tomatometer 47% 5,000+ Ratings Audience Score Friends since childhood, Brian (Mark Ruffalo) and Paulie (Ethan Hawke) do whatever it takes to survive in their hardscrabble South Boston neighborhood. Crime has always been part of their lives, and now they find themselves on the payroll of a hoodlum named Pat Kelly (Brian Goodman). While Brian sinks deeper into the criminal cesspool, Paulie plans one last heist, one that he hopes can pull them both out of their dead-end lives. Read More Read Less Watch on Peacock Stream Now

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      What Doesn't Kill You

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      Audience Reviews

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      Jeffrey P A ‘guy movie' through and through, a little overly drawn out early on with a few too many unnecessary scenes. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/25/24 Full Review little m What a wonderful acting especially mr Hawke Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review isla s This film has a good cast and a semi decent plot but it was just so depressing. There are many similar films, with similar plots and its not especially memorable, I'd say. Mark Ruffalo and Ethan Hawke do alright, certainly not bad - their performances seemed pretty solid, just I didn't think it was any better than ok frankly. The action sequences aren't particularly great - not bad either. This is very much an ok film. I wouldn't go out of your way to see this as such, no. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Spoilers: Does anyone in Boston have nice parents, go to college, become a pharmacist, an accountant, a nurse, a newsman, whatever (tired of it's a gangster or a priest). How many of these hardscrabble streets of Southie, etc. movies? Whatever. Of course, choir practice doesn't make a movie script. The cast is good, the story tiresome. Amanda, a movie face of an angel, and can act. The Wahlbergs are always good, and creative -- Donnie helped write this. Ethan and Mark always deliver good performances. You get the idea there's more of them than us -- suburban white kid, 2 parents at home -- them from broken homes, broken lives, surviving on the street, mixed up with lowlifes from young. As they grow up, what could go wrong? Fightin to make a buck on the wrong side of the law. So, we're back in Boston. Pretty good writing, good production values, plenty of movies aren't this good, as the acting elevates it. What let Mark down? Bad habits surely. The economic system of consistent haves and have nots? Broken families? The broken American dream? But he finally wised up, put kids first and stayed sober and working. It was too late for Ethan, who just knew he was gonna knock over that armored truck, and got 50 years in prison instead. These two friends from boyhood tasted redemption or life in prison, though the one tried to talk the other out of the truck job, in vain. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Paul K Very good movie from the streets of South Boston Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/16/21 Full Review r 9 I am a sucker for these gritty, crime-filled dramas I must admit. 'What Doesn't Kill You' gives me strong vibes of 2014's 'The Drop' and 2010's 'The Town', it's miles better than that awful former but not quite on the high level of the latter. This is very nicely acted, with Ethan Hawke (Paulie), Mark Ruffalo (Brian) and Amanda Peet (Stacy) all delivering goodness in their roles - Ruffalo being the standout, he really shows off the plight of his character brilliantly. Hawke and Peet support astutely. I love the music by Alex Wurman, it fits everything that's going on perfectly. The other stuff, like dialogue and cinematography, is all shipshape. As for the premise, it's good - there's certainly enough there to keep you locked in, well there is for me anyway. Strong cast, an extremely watchable plot alongside a nice and light run time. I'd definitely recommend. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      What Doesn't Kill You

      Brian Goodman as Pat Kelly in "What Doesn't Kill You." Mark Ruffalo as Brian in "What Doesn't Kill You." Director Brian Goodman on the set of "What Doesn't Kill You." Mark Ruffalo as Brian and Amanda Peet as Stacy in "What Doesn't Kill You." (L-R) Ethan Hawke as Paulie and Mark Ruffalo as Brian in "What Doesn't Kill You." Mark Ruffalo and director Brian Goodman on the set of "What Doesn't Kill You." Ethan Hawke as Paulie, Brian Goodman as Pat and Mark Ruffalo as Brian in "What Doesn't Kill You." View more photos

      Critics Reviews

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      Mark Holcomb Time Out Rated: 3/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Peter Rainer Christian Science Monitor The overfamiliarity of What Doesn't Kill You is redeemed by a full-scale performance from Mark Ruffalo. Rated: B+ Dec 19, 2008 Full Review Noel Murray AV Club 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. Rated: B Dec 19, 2008 Full Review Dave White Movies.com Rated: 2/5 Apr 4, 2011 Full Review James Plath Movie Metropolis For a true-crime story, there's surprisingly little dramatic arc. Rated: 6/10 Jun 7, 2009 Full Review Brian Orndorf DVDTalk.com 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. Rated: A- Apr 21, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Friends since childhood, Brian (Mark Ruffalo) and Paulie (Ethan Hawke) do whatever it takes to survive in their hardscrabble South Boston neighborhood. Crime has always been part of their lives, and now they find themselves on the payroll of a hoodlum named Pat Kelly (Brian Goodman). While Brian sinks deeper into the criminal cesspool, Paulie plans one last heist, one that he hopes can pull them both out of their dead-end lives.
      Director
      Brian Goodman
      Executive Producer
      William J. Immerman, Peter McIntosh
      Screenwriter
      Brian Goodman, Donnie Wahlberg, Paul T. Murray
      Distributor
      Yari Film Group
      Production Co
      Bob Yari Productions, Battleplan Productions
      Rating
      R (Drug Use|Brief Sexuality|Language|Some Violence)
      Genre
      Crime, Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Dec 12, 2008, Limited
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Jul 30, 2018
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