We Own the Night

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Eva Mendes, Mark Wahlberg, Robert Duvall
Directed by: James Gray
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
2007

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A nightclub manager (Joaquin Phoenix) is torn between his partners at the club and his family, including his cop brother (Mark Wahlberg) and police chief father (Robert Duvall) who are investigating the club for drug dealers.

Review:

Tim: This film has a great deal of star power, and is fairly dramatic. However, there are a number of fairly serious flaws which bring the movie down just enough to prevent it from being very good. There are some great scenes, but the overall movie is a little disappointing.

The cast, however, is quite good. Joaquin Phoenix, though not at his best, gives a strong performance. He captures the stress of the dilemma he finds himself in quite well. I enjoyed seeing him on screen. Mark Wahlberg is decent, although he's not great. He does just enough right to move along the movie. Eva Mendes gives a surprisingly good supporting performance, getting as much out of the role as anyone could. Robert Duvall is also quite good. I did enjoy seeing the cast together on screen.

The film boasts one of the best car chases I've ever seen. It is the one that happens in the rain, and takes a minimalist approach. We don't get any dramatic music- this is one of the quietest car chases ever. The scene is shot partially through the front windshield, so it appears on screen exactly as it would if you were in the car. The scene is tremendous. However, the rest of the movie is flawed. Too many scenes are just not as dramatic as they needed to be. Several scenes are also slow and drag in places. There are some moments which seemed a bit hard to believe, and the movie starts to break down in some places.

We Own the Night does enough right to keep us interested, but doesn't do enough to differentiate itself from other films. It isn't nearly as effective as it should be. The movie is interesting and entertaining, but not as good as it needed to be.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Reservation Road, Walk the Line, Ladder 49, Lucky You, John Q.