too far for tame audiences, the story really develops beautifully, exceeding my already high expectations. I'm looking forward to seeing it for a second time in theaters as I have a feeling that this one only improves with multiple viewings.Gray creates real mood in several particularly excellent scenes. Two in particular, the drug house and car chase are so well constructed, and so well filmed. They build tension inconspicuously, they creep up on you to where you barely notice that you've started breathing harder. And the choice of composition and sound effects never feels overdone or out of place. It serves as a compliment to the suspense rather than the source. At times the effect almost sounds throbbingly ultrasonic. It adds palpability to scenes without overpowering them--something all too common today.Of particular mention is Gray's use of hallways as set pieces. There are three different hallways used at different intervals in the film that are wonderfully atmospheric as coupled with haunting audio and skillful direction and indicative of a passage into the unknown. The last--Bobby walking down the corridor into blackness is both terrifying in its context and foretelling of the symbolic darkness he's entering in his life.As for the cast, Joaquin Phoenix is again the heart, soul, and center of the film. Smartly given the main role, his weight, conviction and charisma easily stand out here. Conversely, Mark Wahlberg contributes little and provides the same fairly one-note performance we've seen before from him. But perhaps aided by their previous working relationship and off-screen friendship, he and Phoenix share enough believable chemistry to make their complicated relationship feel real. Duvall does fine work as their father, we've seen him better but I enjoyed the tension between his character and Phoenix's black sheep of the family. Eva Mendes is unobjectionable as well. Actually the relationship between Bobby Phoenix and Amada Mendes is perhaps the most touching and poignant in the film and Mendes is in no way a disappointment or distraction. More than just the girlfriend of a charismatic man, we believe in the relationship between Amada and Bobby, which makes the evolution of that relationship all the more resonant by film's end. But, this is Phoenix's film. At his worst if you can call it that he's reminiscent of a young and passionate Al Pacino, and at his best, there is no one comparable. Phoenix takes this role and makes it heartbreaking, shading Bobby with sympathy and complexity. There are several scenes in which his reactions are stunning in their realism. A scene in a diner in which Bobby knows more than he can let on to a Russian drug dealer, Phoenix juggles a reflection of both inner and outer conflict that is revelatory in its subtlety--and he does it all with his face and eyes. He seems an old hand at the dreaded and difficult character arc, so his masterful work there is no surprise. What is surprising is that you instantly forget ever seeing him in anything before. When you watch We Own the Night, you can't see Joaquin Phoenix and you don't see any character he has previously played. His style, presence, manner, behavior and the feeling he projects has never been seen before. This is Phoenix as we've never seen him. And that is every bit as exciting as it sounds.As a final comment on the film-making, the very last scene is a dream in its power and simplicity. Though some viewers may be used to something showier, it is about as perfect a final moment as I could have hoped for. As far as Joaquin Phoenix goes, the man just keeps getting better. Apparently so does James Gray.

deliver in each scene without fail. While I saw some scenes of the film on television for promotional preview, etc., the clips did not reveal the order or what would come after it... and I'm glad for that! To sum it up: see it, love it, buy it when it comes out on DVD!

similar situations, we would never enjoy any movies. It's brilliantly written and very well acted. The story was very interesting and definitely keeps your attention.Bobby is a drug addict/seller who is very popular at his club, he has many connections and a very beautiful girlfriend, Amanda. His family is quite opposite of his life, his brother, Joesph, and his father, Burt are fine policemen and rade in on his club to collect the Russian mafia who are in a major agreement of intense drugs. Bobby is angry at his family for interfering with his life; but when Joesph is shot by a member of the Russian mafia, things change. Bobby goes under cover to get them and now must go into witness protection after they are arrested. But things get more and more intense when one of the members escape and are after his head.We Own the Night is an incredible film that I highly recommend that you see. Like I said, I wouldn't be surprised if this is a nomination for the Oscars. Mark and Joaquin were terrific together and they also produced this film together! Our boys have come a long way, but I'm sure that this is not the end for them. We Own the Night is high action, drama, and a great mob movie. I definitely recommend it, this film keeps you on the edge of your seat and the ending is a tear jerker. Eva brought in a a surprising good performance along with Robert, but it is Mark and Joaquin that steal the show.10/10

give away too much about the movie because I hate now how everyone knows everything about a movie's plot before it opens. Let's just say it's both a crime movie and a family drama. A socially conscious melodrama and a cop story. And it has a couple of great action scenes. The acting was top notch by Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg better than in The Departed , Robert Duvall always good and especially Eva Mendes who I've never seen like this before. 9/10

been seen this way before.

your attention. You will see some action but don't come into this movie expecting to see Die Hard or The Departed. If you come into the movie expecting to see a deep look into how characters deal with life changing events you will not be disappointed. Overall this movie deserves a solid 9.

well made with characters you can care about and root for. Since the movie wasn't finished at the time I got to see it, I look forward to enjoying the movie again at local movie theater..

going on in the club he works at. The man who turns out to have a conscience that leads him to pick up a side between the good and the evil.But after all, what's wrong with a predictable screenplay? I'm not sure you can blame a movie for that single reason, at least not nowadays. There are way too many movies coming out to judge one only by its storyline. Then what makes the difference is the acting part; the ability of the actors to get into the character, to make the character become alive, alive as a character : not an actor playing a role but a role played by an actor. That's where the truth lies...and I'm afraid this is something that everyone forgets because the acting is of very poor quality most of the time. It is certainly the director that is to blame but the actor, what is the actor doing if he doesn't try hard to get into the character himself? Joaquin Phoenix is very good at it. Very good. In my opinion he's one of the most talented actors of his generation my favorite undoubtedly . He's always great : as a Roman emperor or as Johnny Cash. He was good in U-Turn and The Yards too. But in We own the night, he's simply amazing. He brings about a high dose of emotion, he's complex and tortured. He makes his character so deep. Robert Duvall won an award but, honestly, the best actor in the movie is Phoenix. I didn't find Duvall extraordinary. He's just this old guy; proud, proud and disappointed, proud and worried, then proud and relieved but still worried, finally proud and dead. I'm sure he could have been better. As for Mark Whalberg, I don't really like him as an actor. I always feel that he's never really into his role, I think it's just his face...what can you do. As people compare those two movies, I would say he was better in The Departed. Then again, he's not OK in We own the night. Finally, Eva Mendes. She's surprising. Perfect as the girl who's out-of-place, who's truly in love but overwhelmed by the direction her life his taking and that she's not strong enough to follow.On top of that, the movie is beautifully shot. Some scenes are extremely touching like the one where Phoenix goes to the hospital to see his brother after he got shot; this tear falling out on his cheek...You can literally FEEL the pain and you cannot help being somehow moved. The other beautiful scene is when Duvall dies. First getting dreadfully shot in the car in font of Phoenix. Then Duvall coming out of the car half-dead, under the heavy rain, his son watching him die, almost like a second time but this time for good. Another scene that is quite quite original is the march into the cocaine fabric. You follow Phoenix steps as you literally freak out along with him. You're not sure what's going to happen, the atmosphere is so gloomy and tensed but you know nothing good can happen there. It's like a hell resort, it reminded me of the house in Fight Club. Finally the last scene between the two brothers is a perfect end, with a bit of regret for the lost lover, the last and only regret of a previous existence.I recommend this movie to anyone who wants a change, who wants to see actors playing the characters of an non flawed screenplay.

last hour was riveting in many spots and the movie finished on a high note.Anyway, the turning point in the story comes when Bobby's brother "Joe" Mark Wahlberg is shot and in critical condition. Bobby then decides to help him and their father, the police chief "Bert Grisinsky" played by veteran actor Robert Duvall. Bobby had changed his last name, not wanting the thugs he hung around with to know his father and brother were both cops. How he gets involved and what he does provides a lot of suspense.Actually, I thought two of the most interesting roles in here were played by supporting actors Alex Veadov and Danny Hoch. Veadov is Russian thug "Vadim Nezinski" as is Hoch nightclub employee-best friend "Jumbo."There is an extremely tense and violent car chase scene in this film, but basically it is far more of a character-study film, of the relationships involving the Grusinsky family. The crime, the sex and all the other things take a back seat to the relationships of these three family members and it finishes with a nice touch, even though one of the members winds up dead.