Entertainment

JAILED HAWKE TRIES TO PROVE, YES HE CON!

BRIAN Goodman’s “What Doesn’t Kill You” doesn’t open promisingly – it seems like a poor imitation of “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” with Ethan Hawke again trapped in another botched shopping-center heist.

But this is a rare case of a movie that improves dramatically as it goes along, especially after Hawke’s Paulie lands in jail for a lengthy stretch with his South Boston childhood pal and longtime partner in small-time crime, well played by Mark Ruffalo.

Ruffalo is actually playing Goodman (a longtime actor making his filmmaking debut) in this autobiographical drama, which provides an unusually authentic look at whether an ex-convict can successfully reform for the sake of his family (Amanda Peet plays Goodman’s wife) or whether he’s trapped for life.

Running time: 100 minutes. Rated R (violence, profanity). At the Village East, Second Avenue and 11th Street.