WE OWN THE NIGHT
Director: James Gray Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Eva Mendes, Robert Duvall
Reviewed by PETER MALONE
James Gray has shown particular interest in Russian criminals in New York since his first feature, Little Odessa. It is 1988 and large deliveries of cocaine are being made and distributed in clubs. Joaquin Phoenix plays the fast and loose manager of Club Caribe in Brooklyn (owned by the Russians) while Mark Wahlberg and Robert Duvall play his police brother and father.
The opening credits have a collage of stills which reminds us of the police culture of New York and the range of criminals that they have been up against. The plot does not quite work out the way we would have expected although there are the usual investigations, undercover work and stakeouts. Gray seems more interested in the complicated family relationships as they are played out during the drug pursuit.
The clash between the brothers is very strong, a kind of Cain and Abel relationship which moves into something more like the parable of the Prodigal Son. Mark Wahlberg has established himself as a strong screen presence as has Joaquin Phoenix, who with Gladiator and Walk The Line shows he is capable of more versatility. They both appeared in James Gray’s previous crime thriller, The Yards.
The cast give solid performances with Eva Mendes as Phoenix’s Hispanic girlfriend who was after a good time but finds herself caught up in a witness protection program. There are some very nasty villains, once again the Russians who show how the Russian Mafia could develop in the US. Gray does have some car chases and shootouts but does not overdo them, contributing to a competent and interesting thriller.
Reviewed by MARCUS SINCLAIR
Two movies with a single theme, that being best expressed by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzche as the “will to power”, i e the rise by the exceptional man above the common herd. Two movies, so much alike, but treated slightly differently with varying results, both entertaining, both over long, both violent. They paint a bleak picture of our modern society, one being more realistic than the other. The Ancients expressed the situation as homo homini lupus – man is a wolf for man - when they referred to human behaviour within their own polis. Yet for all of our progress with technology, accumulated knowledge, and sophistication it appears that nothing has really changed over the past three thousand or so years. Man is still a wolf for man.
The first of these movies is Ridley Scott’s American Gangster. It is very well made and good to look at due to its classy production values (always a Scott trademark). It deals with the rise and fall of an Afro-American crime boss (played by Denzel Washington) who deals in narcotic importation and distribution. His nemesis is an unconventional Jewish cop (Russell Crowe), who has family problems as well as being outcast by many in the Police department for the simple reason that he always plays it straight.
The emphasis throughout both these films is on success (with both crime and its prevention) due to the closeness of the family/working unit, which offers the boss (whether he be gangster or cop) dependability, protection and avoidance of public scrutiny, especially by the media. Here, unfortunately, comparisons with The Godfather are made, and it is at this point that Scott’s film displays its major weakness. Whereas Coppola spent much time in developing his characters – family members, bent cops and others, in American Gangster they are glossed over and too much time is spent, when dealing with individuals, on irrelevancies that do very little to develop and move the narrative along. Also, Washington is miscast. He is too much of a “nice guy” to be taken seriously as a ruthless criminal, and the scenes where he displays viciousness don’t really convince. Well plotted, well paced, a variety of settings well mounted, together with a fine performance by Crowe make this a good movie rather than a great one.
Whereas. Ridley Scott is a craftsman, albeit a flawed one, James Gray, director of We Own The Night, is barely a journeyman. Similar in theme to American Gangster it too deals with narcotic distribution in New York, only this time round it is being handled by the Russian Mafia. They are vicious. Blood flows, no one is safe, especially the law enforcers who have been assigned to putting an end to their activities. Also, as in Scott’s film, the treatment here is again on family. Father (Robert Duvall) is the Police Chief, Mark Wahlberg his son, a dedicated police officer, and a wayward son, involved in the drug scene, played by Joaquin Phoenix. All turn in solid performances, but they are a bit on mechanical, making one long for a little creative spontaneity. Also, the love sequences involving Phoenix and his girl-friend (Eva Mendes) are unconvincing. They are there mainly for decorative purposes, as are some of the family scenes: Mendes visit home, the “boy” mechanics lounging around.
Though predictable, the story is well paced, but there is a lack of imagination and style on display within the various sequences. Camera angles and movements could be more dramatic to heighten the tension. Scenes and set-ups are often repetitive (perhaps due to budget restraints (?)), but Gray doesn’t have the skill to draw his viewers into the film, thus getting them involved in what is taking place. They are only watchers, even when the excitement begins to mount and the finale is about to reach its climax. Our director needs to spend more time studying the masters – not only the A-graders, but also the Kings of the Bs - especially the latter, for many of them did wonders on a limited budget. Also, American Gangster would have been a suitable starting point.