Movie Review Report

I wanted to see this movie when it came out on DVD because I’m a big fan of Mark Wahlberg and it looked like the kind of movie I usually enjoy, but I ended up having mixed feeling about it.

Plot summary from imdb.com:

Brooklyn, 1988. Crime is rife, especially drugs and drug violence. A Russian thug is building his heroin trade, while everyone laughs at the cops. Brothers have chosen different paths: Joe (Mark Wahlberg) has followed his father Bert (Robert Duvall) into New York’s Finest; he’s a rising star. Bobby (Joaquin Phoenix), who uses his mother’s maiden name, manages a club. Bobby too is on the rise: he has a new girlfriend (Eva Mendez) and a green-light to develop a Manhattan club. Joe and Bert ask him to help with intelligence gathering; he declines. Then, Joe raids Bobby’s club to arrest the Russian. From there, things spiral out of control: the Russian puts out a hit on Joe, personal losses mount, and Bobby’s loyalties face the test.

Can I just start out by saying that I’ve always hated Joaquin Phoenix for some reason; I’m not really sure what it is. But I hated him much less in this movie than I normally do (I’m not saying I liked him, I’m just saying I hated him less). Same with Eva Mendez actually, she wasn’t as annoying in this movie as she normally is. But on the opposite side, I have always loved Mark Wahlberg and in this movie it was no different. He did an awesome job and I just love him.

The movie wasn’t as good as I thought it was going to be. I love this type of movie: crime, drug busts, cops, yadda, yadda, yadda, but for some reason when it was over I was just like, eh.
I thought the overall ideas of the movie were kind of a mix between The Departed and American Gangster but nowhere NEAR as good as those two movies which are two of my all-time favorites. That’s why I was a little surprised that I didn’t like it more… it had the potential to be a very good movie but for some reason it just missed the mark. It was actually kind of boring in parts which was surprising considering the subject material.
I would say that it’s worth checking out but don’t expect too much from it. Some of the performances, especially Mark Wahlberg’s, will make it worth the time.

My Rating:

It was OK

Review: American Gangster
Review: The Departed

We Own The Night, Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Robert Duvall, Eva Mendez, The Departed, American Gangster, movie review