We Own the Night (2007)

"We Own the Night" is a strange beast. It follows two brothers, Bobby (Joaquin Phoenix) and Joseph (Mark Wahlberg), on opposite sides of the law in 1980s New York City. Bobby does drugs and works for Russian gangsters as a nightclub manager. Joseph is married, a father and New York vice cop, just like dad (Robert Duvall). Joe and dad fight for Bobby (who even has ditched his surname) to go blue, but he relents, and resents family and God. I knew exactly where the film was headed, but its journey and surprises along the way to that predetermined destination had me riveted. Chart this to the strong, bloody and honest script and direction by James Gray, who seems to know a lot about the turmoil between fathers and sons, and the acting.

Wahberg has never been better, and Phoenix is excellent as always, a true character actor who wouldn't be caught dead in "Transformers 6." Duvall has more energy here than he has had in a decade. When the three of these men are together, it feels like family, not like three guys showing up on a set pretending to love (hate) each other. The violence is relentless, and a car chase during a rain storm in the middle of the film ranks high as one of cinema's best. This film feels real with its locations, music and the depiction of the always stunning cult-like loyalty that cops have for one another. This is epic, mingling biblical and Shakespearean tales, into a small crime/family story, and it improves on repeat viewings. A-