WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU is a film which has familiarity working against it. It's a working class crime drama about a couple of brothers who live in a world of petty theft, general criminality and drugs, and the story sees one of them trying to go straight and make good for his family. The film is based on the experiences of writer/director Brian Goodman, but the tropes are so similar to many films which have come before that the viewer feels rather jaded by it all.
Saying that, the film does have one saving grace, which is a lead role for Mark Ruffalo. Others like Donnie Wahlberg and Ethan Hawke are okay, but it's Ruffalo who shines in a star-making turn here. Ruffalo has been one of my favourite modern actors in Hollywood for a while, delivering compelling performances in ZODIAC and SPOTLIGHT among others, and he's equally authentic here; you can see the anguish lurking behind his eyes. Without Ruffalo, this would have been a slog to sit through; with him it's pretty decent.
Saying that, the film does have one saving grace, which is a lead role for Mark Ruffalo. Others like Donnie Wahlberg and Ethan Hawke are okay, but it's Ruffalo who shines in a star-making turn here. Ruffalo has been one of my favourite modern actors in Hollywood for a while, delivering compelling performances in ZODIAC and SPOTLIGHT among others, and he's equally authentic here; you can see the anguish lurking behind his eyes. Without Ruffalo, this would have been a slog to sit through; with him it's pretty decent.