Review of Four Brothers (2005) by Olaolu A — 06 Nov 2011

No this isn't Oscar-worthy stuff here and no one will be mentioning this in the same breath as director John Singleton's best work (Boyz In The Hood and Rosewood) but if you're on the hunt for a solid, testosterone-fueled, action-packed revenge flick, this should more than scratch the itch.

The action sequences are expertly-crafted (with the car chase/shootout towards the midpoint of the film being the standout), the chemistry amongst the main actors is solid and the script has plenty of room for humor amidst all the intensity.

This film has technically been billed as an action-drama but the dramatic elements don't quite hit home with the same force as the action-oriented or even comedic ones. The characters don't quite have the depth for this portion of the story to truly take flight.

We certainly like them and hope that they'll be successful in avenging their adopted mother's murder but personally, I didn't come close to developing any deep and last emotional empathy for anyone amongst the principal cast; when it comes to dramatic action flicks, no one's gonna be mentioning this in the same breath as films such as The Professional, John Woo's The Killer or even Man On Fire.

Luckily, those who are thirsty for testosterone/adrenaline cocktail with an urban flavor will likely find that this one satisfies on it's own least-common-denominator terms. In short, this one fits into the category of "guilty-pleasure" perfectly.