We Own the Night
Dir: James Gray
2007
***
We Own the Night (the motto of the now disbanded NYPD Street Crimes Unit) is entertaining enough but ultimately it's forgettable among the many New York 'dirty Cop' movies made over the years. It's a very average addition to the genre, the story is fairly underwhelming but it is directed beautifully and the cast are all on good form. Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg make for a good double act, this being the second time they appear together, the first being director James Gray's The Yards. I found the sibling rivalry, high-testosterone and father issue themes to be a bit tiresome to be honest, a solid film but just not to my taste. James Gray is no Scorsese or Coppola yet but he's got a brilliant eye and I expect his masterpiece will come soon.