Crime thriller starring Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendez and Robert Duvall.
Bobby Green (Phoenix) is a popular night club owner, who spends his days drinking, doing drugs, and cavorting with his Puerto Rican girlfriend Amada (Mendez). His brother and father are higher ups in the New York Police Department who spend their time cracking down on the drug trade, which leads them to seek rebel son Bobby's help in order to trap a Russian crime lord. As Green tries to walk the thin line between law and crime, he must make a decision as to who he will side with.
We Own The Night is a good story, with excellent performances. Director James Gray manages to deliver a cop film that seems to ooze the edgy grittiness that films of the seventies seemed to have. A few scenes in the film are particularly impressive, such as a car chase which uses the sounds of windscreen wipers as a thumping heart and slow motion that is truly tense. Phoenix is wonderful as the irresponsible brother, Wahlberg is considerable as the promising detective, and Duvall delivers a great show as the chief. The most impressive performance of all is Mendez, as she offers a character who seems far more than simple eye candy, with a deep and moving portrayal of a woman caught between love and chaos.
Negatives for this film are things like clumsy first half that does not suck you in, and a build up that wants to offer something new to the crime genre, but ends up delivering a very typical story.
On the whole, worth watching if you like crime films, but it will not change your life.
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