Film title:
We Own The Night
Director:
James Gray
Starring:
Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Robert Duvall
Release date:
14 Dec
Certificate:
15
A possible companion piece to Eastern Promises by way of The Departed, We Own The Night sees Phoenix running a nightclub as a front for the Russian mob, while his father (Duvall) and brother (Wahlberg) are, respectively, the chief of police and a rising-star detective. Forced to take sides, this sets up a reasonably intriguing moral quandary for Phoenix, who wants money and power and everything they bring, but doesn't really want to be mixed up with gangsters if his family is in danger. Moody and exciting, We Own The Night aims high, which is commendable, but never quite achieves the reach of its ambition. Strong performances are a given, but it suffers from an overdose of machismo and ends up muddled and clichéd and nothing we haven't seen before. [Paul Greenwood]