We Own the Night (2007)

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 | Russian Mafia | Nightclub

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

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

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 Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | 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:

The film originated at Warner Brothers and was briefly acquired by Universal.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Several of the "extra" NYPD actors in the film are shown wearing American Flag bars above their shields. This custom did not exist in the late 1980's. The bars were authorized during the first Gulf War as a tribute to the troops.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 2007 MTV Movie Awards (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

A Message to You Rudy

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.