Brad Pitt arrives in Cannes

Brad Pitt arrived to the Croisette in Cannes Tuesday to unveil his new movie Killing Them Softly.

Pitt signed autographs for dozens of fans, with many waiting for several hours to get a glimpse and meet the Hollywood actor.

His latest movie paints a bleak picture of the broken American dream, blending a violent gangster story with overt criticism of politicians’ failure to address the economic crisis.

Killing Them Softly takes place in an unspecified U.S. city, possibly Detroit, which has felt the brunt of the financial collapse — houses are abandoned, shops are shuttered and petty criminals and mobsters alike are struggling to get by.

Pitt plays ruthless hitman Jackie Cogan, brought in by a syndicate of businessmen to eliminate a group of thieves who raid a high-stakes poker game.

It features ganster movie mainstays Ray Liotta and James Gandolfini, and reunites Pitt with New Zealand-born director Andrew Dominik after the two collaborated on The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

The political message of the film was unavoidable. News channels play in the background in bars and on the radio in cars, and the topic of debate is invariably the financial crisis, political failure, greed and shattered dreams.

U.S. President Barack Obama and former U.S. President George W. Bush appear making promises to address the economy and preserve the ideals on which the country was built, underlining how far they have fallen short.

In a scene at the end, Cogan launches a scathing attack on Thomas Jefferson, a founding father of the United States, whom he accuses of being a liar and hypocrite.

“I live in America and in America you’re on your own,” Pitt’s character declares. “America’s not a country, it’s just a business.”