I’m not going to lie. I liked the movie.
If you like action, you will like this movie. If you like thrilling gun battles between police and the bad guys, you will like this movie. If you like great acting, great directing and a great cast you will love this movie. Oh yeah, did I mention Eva Mendez?
The film, set in 1988, starts with a tantalizing scene with Amada (Eva Mendez) and Bobby Green (Joaquin Phoenix) playing around at El Caribe.
El Caribe, is a club in the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn where Bobby Green is the manager.
For Bobby Green it’s not a bad life. He’s living a life of freedom compared to his father and brother, who are both New York City Police officers.
Burt Grusinsky (Robert Duvall), Bobby’s father, is the police chief and Bobby’s brother, Joseph Grusinsky (Mark Wahlberg), is working his way up the ranks like his father.
Bobby finds himself on the other end of the law when the NYPD storms in on El Caribe and arrest him and members of the Russian mob that have been using the club as a drug trafficking hot spot.
The Russians attempt to assassinate Joseph in front of his house, but it failed.
Needless to say, Bobby finds himself devastated and realizes that the grass is not always greener on the other side. He joins his father and brother in the hunt.
To be quite honest, I had never heard of Joaqim Pheonix before I saw this movie. He did a superb job in playing his character, which required many aspects of everyday life. He didn’t only play one character, he played a club owner and a police officer in the same movie.
Although his role in The Godfather was on the other end of the law compared to this movie, I don’t think they could have picked a better person for the job.
The movie was a bit graphic sometimes, but in order to produce the realistic effect it had to be done. It brought me, as the observer, into the film, feeling the same pain that beguiles the characters.
To be quite honest, after seeing the trailer, I didn’t expect the movie to turn out the way it did, but I’m glad it ended that way.
It is an ultimate story of sacrifice for the better good after leading a life down the wrong path. It was a movie that I could say I have been waiting for, for many years.
We Own the Night will be coming out on Friday, Oct. 12.
“Either your going to be with us, or with the drug dealers.” Burt Grusinsky.
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