"Johnny Betts is a rude 'abnoxious' jerk who needs to be 'punced' in the face."- A grammatically-challenged non-fan
	Movie Review - We Own the Night (2007)     (What this rating means)       Director: James Gray Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Robert Duvall, and Eva Mendes Rated: R (for strong violence, drug material, language, some sexual content and brief nudity) Length: 117 minutes Genre: Crime/Drama Tagline: Two brothers on opposite sides of the law. Beyond their differences lies loyalty. Studio: Sony Pictures Website: We Own the Night Release: October 12, 2007 PLOT Joaquin Phoenix is a nightclub owner. Mark Wahlberg is a police officer. They're brothers. It doesn't take the IQ of a Johnny Betts to figure out that they lead very different lives and clash quite frequently. Wahlberg gets fed up with his brother's reckless lifestyle and decides he never wants to see his face again. However, a near-fatal incident causes them to unite in a deadly confrontation with the Russian mobsters who run Joaquin's club. A battle over ownership of the night ensues. JOHNNY'S TAKE We've all seen this storyline before, right? Brothers on diverging paths of life face a crisis that eventually brings them together to fight for or against a common cause. Throw in a little Russian mobster action, blend for two hours, and voila - you get the final product that the recipe promises to deliver. On the plus side, the movie is well-made and bolstered by several strong performances. Phoenix and Wahlberg exhibit a believable sibling rivalry, and Duvall is great as always, albeit underused. Unfortunately, the uneven pace of the story becomes a bit tiresome, leaving the viewer longing for a return to action. While the movie doesn't deliver as many shocking "homerun" moments as I was hoping for, it still manages to provide a solid amount of tension and drama to keep fans of the genre entertained. Especially impressive is a harrowing car chase in the rain. The smoky cornfield (or was it a wheat field? can't remember) climax brings everything to a nice, stifling conclusion though its impact won't stay in your gut for too long. Eat at Taco Bell beforehand if that's what you're wanting. Nightclubs, drugs, quarreling family members, mobsters... yep, you've seen it all before, and you've seen it done better. This is not The Departed. Don't expect to be wowed, but if you're a fan of anybody in the cast and of crime dramas in general then you can at least expect to enjoy this entry in the genre, familiar though it may be. ODDS & ENDS Joaquin Phoenix was in Walk the Line with Reese Witherspoon who was in Best Laid Plans with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon. MAMA'S APPROVAL Nope, not for mama or the kids. Why? I'm glad you asked: Strong violence - There isn't a gratuitous amount of blood and gore, but there are a couple of shootouts, people jumping out of windows, and folks getting shot in the head. Drug material - People be snortin' the cocaine and smokin' the doob. Language - Profanity consists of quite a few "f" bombs but nowhere near the level of The Departed. "S" bombs and other salty nouns and verbs find their way into the dialogue. The Lord's name is also used in vain. Some sexual content and brief nudity - Nudity consists of two women briefly dancing topless on top of a bar. Sexual content consists of Joaquin making out with Eva Mendes and putting his hand in her pants. Taking all of this into account, please tell me you're not taking the children. TRAILER COMPARISON No big surprises. THE GIST We Own the Night is not the homerun I hoped for, but it is an entertaining mix of drama and tension, featuring good performances by Phoenix, Wahlberg, Duvall, and even Eva Mendes. It can wait for a rental.	RETURN TO HOME PAGE Traitor Death Race Star Wars: Clone Wars The Dark Knight Journey to the Center of the Earth Hancock Get Smart The Incredible Hulk The Strangers Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Weekend Results: 1. Tropic Thunder($11,505,000) 2. Babylon A.D.($9,565,000) 3. The Dark Knight($8,615,000) 4. The House Bunny($8,300,000) 5. Traitor($7,800,000)

[ Home | Movie Reviews | Memphis Theaters | Movie Horror Stories | Media Musings | What's Wrong With People? | The Lobby ] Copyright © 2004 The Movie Mark. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction of these reviews or any of the original material on this site is allowed without prior permission from Johnny Betts. Comply or suffer the consequences of Johnny's size 11 biker boot. Wanna be a Movie Mark? Send Johnny Betts an email (johnny_betts@hotmail.com) to be added to the list or complete: The Movie Mark Questionnaire. IQ-100 READERS WITH DOUBLE DIGIT IQS STRONGLY CAUTIONED Some Humor May Be Too Sophisticated For People With Sub-100 IQs INTENSE HUMOR AND SEXY REVIEWING