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What Doesn't Kill You

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What Doesn't Kill You

R

Released Dec 12, 2008

1h 40m

Crime

Drama

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Popcornmeter

66%

Tomatometer

35 Reviews

47%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

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.

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Mark Holcomb

Time Out

Rated: 3/5

Nov 17, 2011

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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

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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

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Dave White

Movies.com

Rated: 2/5

Apr 4, 2011

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James Plath

Movie Metropolis

For a true-crime story, there's surprisingly little dramatic arc.

Rated: 6/10

Jun 7, 2009

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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

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Bill S

Great actors all around. The story is typical of Southie activities and the way of life for guys who don’t want anything better. The characters suffer from their environment and lack of wanting to change while the women try to make a normal life from it all. Having enough experience with the area myself leaves me no surprises in just another story that shows how the guys are just hustling around pulling small time scams to get by. In my experience there’s a lot of heart in the community.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/05/25

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Shannon F

Excellent cast. Very well told storyline. Excellent movie all around.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/25

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Michael R

I wasn't expecting to like this movie as much as I did but man, was it good! Ruffalo portrayed the South Boston hoodlums I know very well without going over the top. Hawke was excellent too. I liked this movie a lot.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/04/24

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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

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little m

What a wonderful acting especially mr Hawke

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

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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

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Brian Goodman

Director

Mark Ruffalo

Brian

Ethan Hawke

Paulie

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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
Producer: Bob Yari, Marc Frydman, Rod Lurie
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
Runtime: 1h 40m

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