We Own The Night

[slickstu]

The title, We Own The Night, sounds a little like a biopic adapted from a Kenny and Dolly duet but thankfully no, rather referring to the motto of the New York nightwatch police who represent one side of this cops'n'drug dealers tale. Written and directed by James Gray, the plot follows Bobby Green (Joaquin Phoenix) who manages a night club which serves as a conduit for the trafficking of illicit drugs. That his father and brother (Robert Duvall and Mark Wahlberg respectively) are both boys in blue naturally creates some conflict.

There's nothing new about the narrative here but Gray does present a fine example of the genre. Seducing you firstly with its mix of sex and pumping Blondie music, it quickly proceeds to its central thesis of familial conflict and promptly winds up the tension from there. At the films pinnacle sits a nailbiting, rain-drenched car chase action piece which pulls the tension to near breaking point. The sequence takes place almost entirely within our protagonists vehicle; amidst squealing tyres, squawking windscreen wipers and low-visibility squalling rain, the scene is both claustrophobic and frightening and feels very real. It's a small shame then that the film tends towards Hollywood cliché from this point forward.

The film consists of great performances all round, most notably from Eva mendez whose smokin' opener is the most erotic scene in recent Hollywood memory. And she's not just a pretty face either, her character emotionally grounds the film amidst this alien world (to most normal people, anyway) of drugs, cops and double-crosses; Mendez represents us normal folk in the film (now if only we were that pretty!) and this is her meatiest role to date. Against all odds, Mark Wahlberg continues to impress for despite possessing a narrow acting range, he has an uncanny knack for picking films which play to his limited strengths. Robert Duvall is great as ever with his usual commanding, yet subtle, presence and delivers the films best lines ("If you piss in your pants, you only stay warm for so long.") Joaquin Phoenix is good also.

The film winds down to a conclusion which is a little disappointing, dipping into the formulaic during it's final chapters, but it's not enough to destroy a very fine movie experience.

8 out of 10

[DND]

worth a watch 7 -10