We Own the Night'

My Selling Point: Dramatic progression, with a touch of suspense.
Runtime: 117min 2secs
Tagline: Two brothers on opposite sides of the law. Beyond their differences lies loyalty.
Written and Directed by: James Gray

Plot Outline:
New York, November 1988: A new breed of narcotics has swept the great city, bringing with it a ferocious crime wave more terrifying than any in recent memory. Outmanned and outgunned by the new criminal order, the police find themselves burying their own at a rapid rate. An all-out war rages, threatening to engulf the guilty and innocent alike. In the midst of this we have Bobby Green (Joaquin Phoenix) who is caught in the crossfire.

Managing a Russian nightclub in Brighton Beach owned by his mentor and frequented by numerous criminals, Bobby keeps his distance, attempting his best to not get involved. Despite his hedonistic, amoral lifestyle, he is committed to his girlfriend Amada (Eva Mendes) and has ambitions to open another club in Manhattan.

However, Bobby has a secret, which he guards closely. His brother is Police Captain Joseph Grusinsky (Mark Wahlberg), who has followed in the footsteps of their father, legendary Deputy Chief Bert Grusinsky (Robert Duvall). Bobby's already strained relationship with his father and brother is tested when Burt warns his son that this is a war, and he's going to have to choose a side.

Overall Impressions:
This flick came as a little surprise to me, I'd seen posters around London and it looked quite artsy, the fear being perhaps artsy to the extreme, whereby it's 'not' actually entertaining. When I mentioned wanting to see it to Demon his response was, sounds like a vampire flick. A fair assessment from the title I suppose, but as you now know, it isn't. It's a flick about 2 brothers on the opposite side of the law. As the film opened up I did find myself thinking, this is going to pan out like that super-hit 70's Hindi flick Deewar where the two brothers are both good at heart, but on the opposite sides of the law, as the plot progresses the cop eventually gets assigned to capture/kill his brother. I would have been happy with this, and though it still shares similarities, this film doesn't quite pan out this way.

Instead we have one brother getting the chance to make things right by turning witness to a crime syndicate. Having his street contacts, he'd be in a good position to do so. Things are kept interesting and tense throughout. Even his decision to turn to the cop-side isn't as simple a choice as it may seem & it's this journey of his that make the film worthwhile. This Joaquin Phoenix feller does a fantastic job here. He's one of those stars that upon initial contact, doesn't interest me, in fact I'd very easily 'not' like him. No idea why, just he has that look about him. Especially bearing this in mind, he impresses. Mark Wahlberg underplays his role pretty well too.

All round, though its pace is a tad on the slow side, it's engaging enough to keep you interested to the last frame.