Movie Review: We Own The Night

Movie Title: We Own the Night
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes and Robert Duvall.
Directed by: James Grey
Genre: Drama/Thriller
My Rating: 7/10

Look at the cast, look at the setting, look at the trailer. You'll think it's going to be a masterpiece in the making. A family of cops that gets on the Russian mob's hit list in late 1980's New York - how would that sound to you? The movie had potential, even the setting was well done. What did it lack? Read below..

Respected veteran actor Robert Duvall plays a veteran cop, with one son (Wahlberg) also a cop, and the other (Phoenix) - a manager of a nightclub owned by a Russian "organized crime" family. Phoenix's character decides to give his wild ways a break to help his father and brother upon finding out they're in the mob's kill list.Eva Mendes plays his Puerto Rican girlfriend, more of an eye candy and less substance of a character. The rest of the cast is relatively unknown, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

The bad thing is amateur direction and editing. I can bet all the quarters in my couch that if the movie is re-edited for DVD release it could turn out better. The story wasn't all that bad - it just wasn't given justice. Not with the direction, nor the editing. Despite it's shortcomings, I see this movie playing on the AMC channel on cable television in a couple of years, that's where I'd suggest you check it out.

7/10. Good acting, decent story, well set in the late 80's with Blondie music, but ugh - somebody do something about the pace.