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      We Own the Night

      2007, Crime/Drama, 1h 58m

      154 Reviews 250,000+ Ratings

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      Critics Consensus

      Bland characters, clichéd dialogue and rickety plotting ensure We Own The Night never lives up to its potential. Read critic reviews

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      We Own the Night  Photos

      A scene from the film "We Own the Night." A scene from the film "We Own the Night." A scene from the film "We Own the Night." A scene from the film "We Own the Night." On the set of the film "We Own the Night." On the set of the film "We Own the Night." On the set of the film "We Own the Night." On the set of the film "We Own the Night." On the set of the film "We Own the Night." A scene from the film "We Own the Night." A scene from the film "We Own the Night." A scene from the film "We Own the Night." A scene from the film "We Own the Night." A scene from the film "We Own the Night." A scene from the film "We Own the Night." A scene from the film "We Own the Night." A scene from the film "We Own the Night." A scene from the film "We Own the Night." A scene from the film "We Own the Night." A scene from the film "We Own the Night."

      Movie Info

      In 1988, New York's police wage an all-out war on drugs, and guilty and innocent alike become casualties. Bobby Green (Joaquin Phoenix), manager of a nightclub that is often frequented by gangsters, tries to remain neutral but hides a potentially fatal secret: His brother (Mark Wahlberg) and father (Robert Duvall) are both cops. After his brother is wounded in an assassination attempt, Bobby can no longer remain neutral. He joins forces with his brother for an all-out assault on the mob.

      • Rating: R (Drug Material|Brief Nudity|Language|Some Sexual Content|Strong Violence)

      • Genre: Crime, Drama

      • Original Language: English

      • Director: James Gray

      • Producer: Nick Wechsler, Marc Butan, Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix

      • Writer: James Gray

      • Release Date (Theaters):  wide

      • Release Date (Streaming):

      • Box Office (Gross USA): $28.6M

      • Runtime:

      • Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment

      • Production Co: 2929 Productions, Industry Entertainment

      • Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS

      • Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

      Cast & Crew

      Mark Wahlberg
      Eva Mendes
      Robert Duvall
      Antoni Corone
      Moni Moshonov
      Alex Veadov
      Tony Musante
      Todd Wagner
      Mark Cuban
      Anthony Katagas
      Joaquin Baca-Asay
      John Axelrad
      Wojciech Kilar
      Ford Wheeler
      James Feng
      Catherine Davis
      Michael Clancy

      News & Interviews for We Own the Night

      Critic Reviews for We Own the Night

      Audience Reviews for We Own the Night

      • Dec 28, 2019

        gph.is/28LnKBz Amazed that they managed to take this sort of subject matter and make it boring.

        Super Reviewer
      • Jul 03, 2014

        The ending feels a little too abrupt and the Eva Mendes character isn't well defined. However, visually the film is often mesmerizing (the car chase and the final gunfight are both beautiful and frightening) and I like how Gray sets up several different potentially cliched Cop film scenarios, only to knock them down.

        Super Reviewer
      • Aug 11, 2012

        Pretty good drama, We Own The Night is supported by a good cast and has a very good story. However I was bit let down. The acting was great, the performance by the three lead actors were just wonderful. However I felt that towards the end of the film, director James Gray rushed to try and conclude his film. The film started swell, and despite the fact that lacks a bit near the end, it's still a film worth watching. I very much enjoyed the plot of this film, and it had the right amount of drama, and sometimes action. I just feel that more effort could have been put into the ending. Other than that, this is a good film with a good plot, and great performances. This is a film worth watching and the cast make this film worth seeing. Although it's flawed near the end, the film has a very good first half. There's plenty to enjoy here, and the film succeeds at being a compelling drama about a family separated by law and crime. What really stood out in this film was Joaquin Phoenix's performance as Bobby Green a night club manager whose father and brother are cops. The thing that stood was how he ultimately made the choice of going to honest route once his life was threatened. The chemistry between Robert Duvall, Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix is the standout of this film, and more than makes up for the rushed ending. This is a very good film, but one that also could have been much better.

        Super Reviewer
      • Apr 28, 2012

        Well, it appears as though the tables have turned since James Gray's last film, "The Yards", and now Joaquin Phoenix is owning the spotlight over Mark Wahlberg, only this time, we have a film that's not as good as "The Yards"... from what I hear, because I haven't seen any other James Gray films. Of course, if it's anything like this film, then, well, I watched all of his movies a long time ago and many times, because this is pretty darn similar to most every crime movie out there, only with a much cooler title. Actually, I say that, but the level of coolness in that title went south when I saw the trailer, which opened wearing the fact that it takes place in the late '80s on its sleeve, while having Joaquin Phoenix walk into a nightclub with a pierced left ear. With a trailer opening like that, the title sounded like it could either go to a cool but generic crime film or a music video to one of those terrible dance club songs that they actually made in 1989 to get ready for the downfall of good music. No, I'm kidding; this is quite obviously a crime film, and boy, James Gray is not going to let you forget that. Okay, maybe the film isn't that generic. In fact, it promises to be refreshing, but that's something that Jim Gray forgot awful fast when he started writing the dialogue. Okay, now, I complain a lot about the film falling into some genericism and all, but really, a lot of that is just exaggeration, because the film manages to dodge glaring amateur missteps more than you would expect it to. However, while this film isn't as run-of-the-mill as it could have been, it still doesn't go too far without collapsing back into conventions, when it comes to both dialogue and general story structure, and while those slip-ups aren't as striking as they would be and very much are in less competent crime films, they are more frequent than they should be, and a film with a story this potentially refreshing deserves better than that. However, even if the conventions were glaring and grating in this film, then they would, well, actually be the biggest of the film's worries, because the minor lapses in originality are problematic enough as they are, so one can only imagine how grating this film would be if it was on the level of genericism as a weeknight cable cop drama, only an hour longer. Still, as things stand, the collapses into conventions are the least of this film's problems, with the film's biggest problem being missteps in James Gray's storytelling, which isn't to say that it's unrelentingly shoddy, though it is certainly spotty here and there, with moments of exposition and transition going glossed over to create some not terribly gaping, but rather offputting gaps in comfortable story flow, as well as moments of moderate overstyle in the tone, whether it be through the overbearing blasting of the soundtrack or simply too much emphasis on the environment, leaving certain moments of cool-down - some of which being fairly major - in the film to go a tad limp and damage the effectiveness of the story. The storytelling faults more often than it should, and often during points where it really doesn't need to fault, and with the story also going plauged by some repetition, the film's escalations are inconsistent and the film is left scattered all over the place. This renders the film rather underwhelming and sometimes overbearing, leaving its should-be entralling atmosphere to rarely grip you tightly and its potential to squander a bit. However, where other crime dramas of this type and of these flaws would have just left it at that and stand as simply nothing at all terribly special, this film, while not at all terribly transcendant, still stands its ground as a genuinely enjoyable film that ultimately rewards from, if nothing else, a stylistic standpoint. Sure, there are moments of atmospheric overstyle, and the style is never really all that stellar to begin with, yet the film's style works more to its benefit than its detriment, which isn't to say that the style really brings this film to full life, though it does certainly liven things up and help in setting both the tone, as well as the time, which is presented in a way where the time setting is known, though not telegraphed, yet not at the cost of some pretty fun '80s tunes here and there. Another stylistic aspect that supplements the tone of the film is, of course, Joaquín Baca-Asay's cinematography, which isn't terribly upstanding among recent similiar films shot in this film, yet remains effective in its gritty rawness, especially at the action sequences, which, I must say, are pretty impressive. Sure, the action is so good that, by the climax - during which the film has to be on top of its game, in terms of action -, it doesn't have terribly striking power, yet, the fact of that matter is that the action is still so impressive, having a lot of style, but still plenty of raw realism, as well as focus on substance to not only make the action cool to look at, but compelling in the context of the story. Still, what really places you in this world the most might have to be the acting, which isn't to say that everyone is great, though it is certainly to say that everyone plays his or her part with authenticity and charisma that leaves his or her role to comfortably fall into place and give this film human depth and believability. Of course, please not that I said that not "everyone" is great, for although the secondaries are good enough to supplement the situation, the situation is really brought to life by the one truly excellent performance, and by a person we expect no less from: Joaquin Phoenix. The Bobby Green character is one that starts off as a fiery charisma that's on top of the world, only to face dangers and tragedies that he tries to fight back, only to find himself locked in situations he was never prepared for as he unravels and changes into a different, more broken human by the end of it all. It's a tough role to play, yet Phoenix makes it look effortless, nailing the initial charisma, but when things begin to unravel and get real, Phoenix molds from that charisma a presence of subtle anguish, as well as strength as the Bobby Green character tries his hardest to keep things as under control as he can, though finds himself held back by pure, scarring fear, and watching Phoenix deliver such a soberingly subtle, emotional and compellingly layered performance is one of, if not the biggest reason to see this film, as it helps the most in giving this film the grit, depth and humanity that makes it a notable entry in a sea of familiar crime dramas. At the end of the night, there's no getting around the not terribly glaring, yet still very much active conventions, nor is there any hope of getting around the missteps in storytelling, yet what helps the film in transcending the dangers of falling into forgettability among the crime-drama genre is the subtle, yet handsome style that compliments tone, setting and some heavy action, yet not quite as much as the colorful and very human cast, headed by an especially excellent Joaquin Phoenix, whose layered, emotional and deeply compelling lead performance is among the fair deal of strengths that ultimately make "We Own the Night" a compelling and generally satisfying film. 3/5 - Good

        cameron j Super Reviewer

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