We Own the Night

The prodigal son has to face the music and help the family in We Own the Night, a nice showcase for the talents of Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix and director James Gray. This is the second time the three have worked together (they all did James Gray’s The Yards) and it proves to be a worthwhile reunion. The film had been kicking around for many years (Gray hasn’t directed anything since 2000). Phoenix plays Bobby, a nightclub manager satisfied with his partying lifestyle and general estrangement from his family of law enforcement officers. Wahlberg plays his brother, Joseph, a police detective who had followed in his father, Burt’s, (Robert Duvall) footsteps. Joseph tells Bobby to watch his ass because they’ve been tailing a Russian drug dealer who hangs around his club, and a bust is going to happen. That sets off a chain of events that might be implausible, but are entertaining nevertheless.