'What Doesn't Kill You' review

Mark Ruffalo (Credit: Yari Film Group )

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Best friends since childhood, Brian (Mark Ruffalo) and Paulie (Ethan Hawke) work for organized crime boss Pat Kelly (Brian Goodman, who also co-wrote and directed) on the streets of south Boston. Paulie enjoys a life of no responsibilities, but Brian has a tougher time reconciling his criminal activities and his time at home with an increasingly frustrated wife (Amanda Peet, rock solid) and children.  

The buzz: With the generally dependable Ruffalo in his first lead role in some time and a newly vital Hawke following up his career best work in “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” this movie just might attract enough interest without having to shamelessly plug the fact that it’s co-written by New Kids on the Block teen idol-turned-actor Donnie Wahlberg (who also has a small role here). But probably not.

The verdict: Based heavily on Goodman’s own life experiences, “What Doesn’t Kill You” is far from revelatory but does convey a genuine human touch. As Hawke points out in the press notes, the lead characters might have worked for Jack Nicholson’s mob boss in “The Departed.” And an interesting and exciting film could’ve have been made with that perspective in mind. “Kill You” represents a good attempt, but is simply too familiar and ponderous to succeed in a genre with movies as riveting as, well, “The Departed.” Still, Ruffalo really shines, especially as the film develops into a drama about a man who tries to correct himself after a series of wrong turns. And it’s all the more moving when you know a man who went through the very same crisis was sitting in the director’s chair.

Did you know? Ruffalo was handed the script for this film directly by Goodman on the set of the 2001 film “The Last Castle” in which they both had supporting roles.

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