Review: ‘We Own the Night’

Zac:

This cop drama is pretty much standard fare across the board story board with nothing we haven’t seen before. I think one thing that took a bit away from me on this movie was that the preview gave way too much away. But anyways, the lead, Joaquin Phoenix, does some great work here and is a character you can easily get behind and relate with. Wahlberg also turns in a subdued and under the radar performance as well and it’s nice to see him play something other than the tough guy badass role for a change. Eva Mendes also looks pretty like she is supposed to and does some pretty good work through out.
Robert Duvall on the other hand just got on my nerves, I feel like he dialed in his performance, and it’s the same one he as been doing for years. But his acting isn’t what holds this movie back, not by a long shot. What holds this movie back is that about halfway through the movie, nothing is happening for a reason, it is just happening because it has to, to move the story forward. Some characters also take some drastic turns in thought, that aren’t all that believable either, but oh well. The movie remains engaging despite these short falls, and is entertaining, with the highlights being the drug house and the rain chase. It’s just not the greatest movie; good, not great.
If you like any of the acting leads, you will find something here to like, and if you like a stereotypical cop story, again you can’t complain, but if you are looking for something remotely different and original, you might want to look elsewhere.

[rating: 3.5/5]