Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Very well executed

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

"What Doesn't Kill You" is apparently based on the life of the writer/director of the film, Brian Goodman. I assume the character Brian Reilly (Mark Ruffalo) in the film is supposed to be Goodman.The first 80% of the film is unpleasant....you should be aware of this. It follows the low-life exploits of Brian and his pal, Paulie (Ethan Hawke). When I say exploits, I mostly mean criminal behaviors as the pair were apparently low-level hoods in Boston years ago. Their crimes included mostly shakedowns as well as drug use...but they even were involved in the kidnapping...of a dog! Because their actions were so violent and selfish, I really disliked this film...and it wasn't until later in the picture, when Brian got tired of the life, that it became interesting and involved me. The bottom line is that the movie is very well made and the acting quite nice. It's just that wading through the awfulness of Brian and Paulie's lives...that takes a lot of patience. If you stick with it, you will, fortunately, be rewarded.

After first seeing him in Zodiac on the big screen,it has been wonderful to see Mark Ruffalo become a part of major franchises and Oscar winning Dramas,whilst also noticing Ethan Hawke get back on track with a mix of Horror (the first Purge and Sinister) and major Art House projects such as Boyhood. Talking to a family friend about films he recently recorded off TV,I was shocked to find out about a rarely mentioned title that teams Ruffalo up with Hawke(ye),that led to me finding out what doesn't kill you.The plot:Growing up poor in Boston,teenage friends Brian Reilly and Paulie McDougan become petty criminals for gangster Pat Kelly. Growing up with Kelly, Reilly and McDougan become a part of his inner circle over the years,with the only thing that the guys turn down being armoured vehicle robberies. Trying to keep a family together with his wife Stacy,Brian finds the temptations too much to resist,and becomes a druggie. Whilst picking up some TVs that "fell" off the back of a truck,the guys are caught by an undercover cop who has had his eyes on them for years. Sent down for 5 years in the big house,Brian and Paulie start to find out that what doesn't kill you, will make them stronger.View on the film:Running out of hospital in the freezing cold for another "hit" Mark Ruffalo gives an incredible raw performance as Reilly.Spending his whole life working for Kelly with McDougan,Ruffalo subtly captures Reilly's awareness of being in a Noir tar pit,but also a burnt-out mind-set of getting free from the next mob/drug hit. Joined by a wonderfully expressive Amanda Peet as Reilly's wife Stacy, (plus a side order of two Wahlberg's for some Boston spirit) Ethan Hawke gives a great fragile performance as Paulie,who Hawke makes stand out to Reilly by holding Paulie with an optimism that is always on the horizon,but never reached.Bringing his life story to the screen,co-writer/(with Donnie Wahlberg and Paul T. Murray) co-star (playing his former boss!) director Brian Goodman & cinematographer Chris Norr (who reunited with Hawke for Sinister) roll into Boston on a wave of blue collar Neo-Noir hovering above a frosty atmosphere of streets covered in snow that give Reilly and McDougan's "tasks" an ice cool shine. Cracking the door open to Reilly's fractured married life, Goodman gives the title a rustic tone,picking up corners of fading walls and keeping a distance to show the full misdeeds of the Noir duo.Falling into cinemas as the studio went bust,the screenplay by Donnie Wahlberg/Paul T. Murray and Goodman fittingly presents a Noir Drama whose edges bleed with an impending sense of doom. Spanning 8 years,the writers brilliantly bring the world pushing Reilly and McDougan's out into the Noir darkness into focus with clever underhanded ways,from the cost of living in their old neighbourhood becoming un-affordable,to Reilly completely missing major family events behind bars. Tightening the grip drugs and crime have on the friends,the writers strip any darkness to expose the hopeless Noir pit that they are trapped in,as Reilly and McDougan discover what does kill you.

I started watching this film with no idea what it was about. I had added it to my Netflix queue a while back, and forgotten why. Right from the first scene, though, I knew I had found a hidden gem. According to Wikipedia, the movie premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, and was released on a very small scale in December 2008 due to the collapse of its distributor, Yari Film Group. It is a straight- forward crime drama, showcasing the struggle of gangsters who want to change their lives. It is set apart, however, by the fact that it is based on Goodman's real life until the mid-1990s. Some guys deal with their demons with telling their story in a meeting…Goodman made a bad-ass movie about his…and Ruffalo, Hawke, and the rest of the cast (including Goodman) played the hell out of their roles.

Paulie and Brian, two would be wise guys living in South Boston, are seen as teenagers working on petty deals for the area's boss, Pat Kelly. They just act as gofers, while learning their profession. The two grow up into full time criminals. Paulie is the strongest of the two. Brian, who marries his sweetheart, Stacy, is more of a follower. There is a strong bond between these two men.Pursuing a career in crime did not come easy for the duo. When Brian turns into drugs, he begins a spiral road that will get him and his partner in jail for something that goes wrong; they must pay for what they did. In prison, Brian meets Sully, a former alcoholic, who is now an advocate for staying clean and sober. Trying to get even with a pedophile, both men get into a lot of trouble just a few days before they are to be released. Paulie, knowing Brian needs to go home to his family takes the blame and stays behind for his bad conduct.Paulie has always been dead set against trying to rob armored vehicles. The way he figures, it is a crime that must be done in daylight, the odds are against the perpetrators, so he stays clear away from this type of action. Brian, now a free man, suffers from a lack of a job, not being able to make ends meet for Stacy and his sons. When Paulie proposes for him to go along, the allure of money weighs heavily on his situation, but he reckons, at last, his family is worth more to him now than whatever he can get out of the deal.This is an interesting crime film directed by Brian Goodman, an actor that is making his debut with the film. Mr. Goodman also wrote the screenplay with Donnie Wahlberg and Paul Murray, which we are told is based on a true story. "What Doesn't Kill You" has a look of older films of the genre. The Boston in which the story takes place is in the middle of a bad winter making it look bleak and miserable just to be out on those snowed streets. What Mr. Goodman accomplished was an ensemble piece which does not disappoint, in spite of minor flaws that can easily be overlooked. Chris Norr, the cinematographer takes us to places that movies do not dare to go. The incidental music is by Alex Wurman.Ethan Hawke and Mark Ruffalo match one another perfectly. It is clear to see the bond Paulie and Brian had all their lives. Mr. Hawke has the flashier part as Paulie, but do not be too hasty to discard Mr. Ruffalo's contribution to the film with his take on Brian. Mr. Ruffalo proves why he is one of the best actors of his generation, bar none. Amanda Peet has a good opportunity to shine with her Stacy. There are surprises in the supporting roles, Mr. Goodman, the director, being one of them as the crime boss Pat Kelly. Will Lyman is also excellent as Sully, the man that wants to sincerely help Brian find his way, and Donnie Wahlberg is seen as a detective that knows what Paulie and Brian are made of.