Review of We Own the Night (2007) by Onisco — 25 Jan 2018
The movie gets progressively worse, so much so that several scenes and story turns from the second part had the effects of comedy (parody) rather than drama. The very last scene sees the brothers exhanging muffled affectionate words ("I love you") that close the movie on a supposedly positive note, while the parable followed by the main character looks like one of surrendering to family bonds based on guilt.
The Godfather comes to mind as an example where a similar theme is developed in a more conscious and dramatically convincing way. (This is also true for the subordinate role of the main female characters.).
Here, the idea of a parallel between the police and the mafia family is not developed, but only casually hinted at in the final pathetic words spoken by the villain and his uncle ("Bobby", "I'm sorry"). These scenes, too, are ruined by an involuntary comedic effect.
Characters, including the main ones, are ultimately thin and barely developed.
The screenwriting is subpar.
This review of We Own the Night (2007) was written by Onisco on 25 Jan 2018.
We Own the Night has generally received positive reviews.
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