We Own the Night (2007)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

James Gray

Writer (WGA):

James Gray (written by)

Release Date:

12 October 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Two brothers on opposite sides of the law. Beyond their differences lies loyalty.

Plot:

A New York nightclub manager tries to save his brother and father from Russian mafia hit men.

Plot Keywords:

Russian | Club | Drugs | Brooklyn | Russian Mafia

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Joaquin Phoenix	...	Robert 'Bobby' Green
Eva Mendes	...	Amada Juarez
Mark Wahlberg	...	Capt. Joseph 'Joe' Grusinsky
Robert Duvall	...	Deputy Chief Albert 'Bert' Grusinsky
Alex Veadov	...	Vadim Nezhinski
Dominic Colon	...	Freddie
Danny Hoch	...	Jumbo Falsetti
Oleg Taktarov	...	Pavel Lubyarsky
Moni Moshonov	...	Marat Buzhayev
Antoni Corone	...	Michael Solo
Craig Walker	...	Russell De Keifer
Tony Musante	...	Capt. Jack Shapiro
Joe D'Onofrio	...	Bloodied Patron
Yelena Solovey	...	Kalina Buzhayev (as Elena Solovey)
Maggie Kiley	...	Sandra Grusinsky

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, drug material, language, some sexual content and brief nudity.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:18A (Manitoba/Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #43553) | Ireland:15A | Norway:15 | Finland:K-15 | Philippines:R-13 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Taiwan:R-18 | Brazil:16 | Sweden:15 | France:U | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R16 | Italy:VM14 | Singapore:M18 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | South Korea:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:13 | Japan:PG-12 | Peru:14

Filming Locations:

Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

2929 Productions

Trivia:

Christopher Walken was originally cast and set to co-star as Chief Albert Grusinsky, but had to pull out due to scheduling difficulties. Robert Duvall was brought in at the last minute to play the role.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the scene where Joe goes to jail to pick up Vadim, the desk attendant reviews a clipboard with the prisoner's booking slip. Vadim's photo is clearly affixed to a report with someone else's info on it (report indicates a black defendant named "Robert Anderson," among other inconsistencies).

Quotes:

[last lines]
Joseph Grusinsky: [whispers] I love you very much.
Bobby Green: [a beat] I love you too.

Movie Connections:

References Plane Crazy (1928)

Soundtrack:

The Magnificent Seven

Excellent!

I caught a recent screening of this film and as a fan of thrillers I was more than impressed. The film creates a handful of true white-knuckle scenes but also accomplishes telling a story that has weight and depth. I love when a film takes its time to develop real characters and not repeats of what we've already seen. The crime genre is so full of clichés already. This film pays homage to classics such as French Connection while breaking new ground in its family/police drama. Phoenix, Wahlberg, Duvall and Mendes are all superb. Eva Mendes deserves a particular mention, as she has not yet been seen this way before.