Review of We Own the Night (2007) by Stephan L — 15 Nov 2011

It's a case of been done before, been done a lot and been done better for this family crime drama from James Gray.

However, to judge the entire film based on the excellence of the genre which surrounds it would be unfair. Just because it's not a wholly original story, and it's not The Departed or Goodfellas, doesn't make it a bad film. It does a lot of things well without ever breaching into the outstanding, but the central conflict between two brothers and their ties is strong enough to draw interest as well decent performances.

Wahlberg and Phoenix are quietly good. They're not phoning anything in, but the slow burn screenplay doesn't allow them to explode with any real acting chops. In fact, when they are required to do so, it does feel slightly forced as if the director wants you to sit up and take notice of a film that plods along with reserved credibility. Only Eva Mendes really stands out, but not in a good way. She is simply eye-candy, but our characters and the audience, making you wonder how much she got paid for such non-role.

One particular car chase is impressive, shot frantically from the position of the passengers. However, it serves to highlight that the rest of the film is not as impressive - a constant flaw throughout.

By all means check this out if you're a fan of the genre, but if you're new to this stick to the greats first.