“We Own the Night” (Sony Pictures)
Good Acting, So So Plot
The Russian Mafia certainly appears to be the cinematic evil force of the day. They were the bad guys featured in “Eastern Promises” and they are the ones causing havoc in the new film “We Own the Night.” A family of law enforcement officers try to stop their threat in New York in the 1980’s and their efforts make up the plot of this new film.
Burt Grusinsky (Robert Duvall) is the Chief of Police in New York City. He has two sons, Joseph (Mark Wahlberg) and Bobby (Joaquin Phoenix). Joseph has followed in his father’s footsteps and is a member of the force. Bobby has gone his own way and is the manager of a club in downtown New York City.
The Russian mafia is making headway in the city and their lead man Vadim Nezhinski (Alex Veadov) is convinced Bobby should be a player in their drug dealings. Bobby is an outsider to his family but he still retains some of the old family values. When one of the members of his family is harmed he is ready to act as a spy for the police.
The acting in this film is top notch. Wahlberg gets better with each and every role, and though his role is subordinate to Phoenix’s he still manages to make quite an impression. Phoenix is the star of this show and makes each scene impressive. He lets his emotions run the gauntlet and is believable with each one that he unveils.
Robert Duvall is good in his role but it isn’t a role that gives him a lot to do. Making more of an impression is Eva Mendes as Bobby’s girlfriend Amada. She goes through a variety of emotions as Amada learns about Bobby’s family and then is thrust into a dangerous circumstance.
The movie is rated R for profanity, violence and nudity.
With the list of talent involved in “We Own the Night” you expect it to be one of the best movies of the year – and it isn’t. It is a fairly enjoyable movie that is well acted. You won’t run out of the theater anxious to tell everyone they need to see it. You might mention it causally in passing as a movie you might want to see when it comes out on DVD.
The Russian Mafia strikes again in “We Own the Night.” The film is a story of good versus evil and also about family dynamics. It isn’t terribly unique in its presentation but it is mildly entertaining.
I scored “We Own the Night” a dark 5 out of 10.
