By Lindsay Christ
It’s 1988 and there is a brutal battle being fought between the NYPD and the Russian Mafia-or at least it is in James Gray’s latest film, “We Own the Night.” “We Own the Night” is the slogan of the New York City Police Department’s street team. Deputy Chief Burt Grusinsky (Robert Duvall) and son Police Lieutenant Joseph Grusinsky (Mark Walhberg) are determined to break the crime ring of Russian drug dealers run by the dangerous Vadim Nezhinski (Alex Veadov). Coincidently, Nezhinski’s uncle owns the nightclub where Walhberg’s wayward brother is a manager.
Bobby Green (Joaquin Phoenix) plays the bad-boy brother who aspires to one day leave the Brooklyn club scene and open a club of his own in Manhattan. Since many of his everyday undertakings are drug related and illegal, he has changed his last name to his mother’s maiden name in order to cut out any association with his police family members. His father and brother ask him to help them catch Nezhinski, saying that he is dangerous. But Green refuses, not wanting to put his job and lifestyle in jeopardy by getting involved in any way. However, after his brother is shot by one of Nezhinski’s men and a hit is put out on his father, Green decides he must go undercover to try and protect his family.
Phoenix plays the character well, showing his conflicted feelings on whether to help his family or continue on with his way of life. The movie is centered on loyalty to family and the chemistry between Wahlberg and Phoenix is first-rate, whether they are fighting with one another or together against the Russian Mafia.
While the movie does have the age-old crime drama car chase, this one is full of emotion as Green races Nezhinski to prevent him from shooting his father, giving the audience members all the more reason to sit at the edge of their seats.
The characters are realistic and relatable, and though Eva Mendes has a relatively insignificant part in regards to the story, her portrayal as Green’s girlfriend, Amada Juarez, is realistic and not sugarcoated to fit a fairy tale love story.
Walhberg detours from his usual bad boy portrayal and plays the somewhat uptight family man very comfortably, showing his versatility as an actor. Duvall, as usual, draws the audience in with his subtle yet immense presence and takes command as both chief and father in most every scene. One of his best scenes has him finding out that his son has been shot. Looking calmly into the police officers’ eyes, he knows exactly why they are there and just asks numbly, “Which son?” Director/writer James Gray is able to use the suspense of a crime movie and intertwine it with intense emotion to make a film that has already earned him a nomination for the Golden Palm Award at the Cannes Film Festival.
“We Own the Night” shows that blood is always thicker than water, a message Gray conveys superbly.
Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix join Robert Duvall in portrayal of family members struggling with loyalty in “We Own the Night,” which hit theaters last Friday. (allmoviephoto.com)