Atmosphere, intensity, and more Russians than the Bolshoi Ballet
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MAR
29
2008
We Own the Night —
What do you get when you mix 3 of the finest actors working today with a standard crime drama involving the Russian mob? You get an immensely watchable movie that makes you care about the characters enough to get invested in the outcome.The title references the slogan painted on New York City police cars in the 1980's and the NYPD's commitment to wiping out the drug trade. Two of those cops working to that end are Deputy Chief Burt Grusinsky (Robert Duvall) and his son Captain Joseph Grusinsky (Mark Wahlberg). At odds with them is Bobby Green (Joaquin Phoenix), who manages a prominent Brooklyn nightclub.
I'm not giving too much away telling you Bobby's true last name is Gursinsky and yes, he is also Burt's son and a man who has chosen the glamorous life, schmoozing the clientele at his club with a hot girlfriend (Eva Mendez) on his arm, over following dear old dad and his brother into police work. He's chosen to go by his mother's maiden name so no one will know he's from a cop family and he can conduct his business unencumbered. Bobby is also a true black sheep, as he enjoys a little blow on the side, perfectly blending with the crowd he mingles.
Unfortunately for Bobby, while the club is owned by a kindly Russian fur trader named Marat Bujayev (Moni Moshonov), the owner's nephew, Vadim (Alex Veadov), frequents the joint and he's not nearly so "kindly". Vadim is a drug dealer wanting to use the club as his base of operations. He's also a member of the Russian mob and, if you've seen the excellent David Cronenburg film "Eastern Promises", you know what nasty buggers they can be. To paraphrase Indiana Jones, "I hate those guys".
Burt and Joesph confront Bobby with this information early on and try to enlist his help, but Bobby's loyalties lie elsewhere, not to mention he wants nothing to do with being a snitch. Soon after, though, Joseph conducts a raid on the club and arrests two of Vadim's henchmen. We learn what sort of people they are when one of the henchmen slashes his own throat rather than rat out his boss.
The police raid incites some reprisals and Bobby is approached by Vadim with a "business proposition" that involves helping the Russians move drugs through the club. The things Bobby learns challenge his belief in his way of life and forces him to decide where his true loyalties lie.
I liked the pacing and the acting is superb, the only draw-back being we've seen this "brothers working on opposite sides of the law" before, notably in "The Departed", which is a superior film. But not by a whole lot. This is a story about loyalties over lifestyle, and, when the shooting begins, Bobby does what he believes to be right. In a character turn I really enjoyed, his girlfriend Amada is not your typical, shallow arm-candy hottie, throwing in with the wrong people when the chips are down. She's a caring, loving woman who is both afraid for and proud of her man.
Almost every scene works and the interaction of the brothers with their father and themselves is intriguing and compelling. The main car chase is riveting and the Russians are just mean enough, with a twist involving them near the end that is as disgusting as it is surprising. The NYPD may not, in the end, have actually owned the night, but the actors owned this movie and make it worth your while.
We Own the Night is recommended by MikeMaroon
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