To say the least, this is not James Gray's first trip to the rodeo. However the 38 year old Writer/Director's place in cinema, particularly that of the group commonly reffered to as the "New Mavericks", has been widely overlooked. Having made his feature debut with 1994's Little Odessa, a small, independant film about a russian thug trying to make amends with his little brother while fueding with his disapproving father. He followed that film up with the baroquely shot The Yards, starring Mark Wahlberg and Juaquin Phoenix. The film is a slow burn of a drama about a ex-con who tries to fly straight, only to be sucked back into crime, the victim of an unchangeable fate. Both films were independant productions, with Little Odessa being backed by Artisan (now Lionsgate) and The Yards finding home at Miramax.
Both films are made with a steady and confident hand, filled with numerous scenes that deliver drama and emotional punches without pandering to the cliched and idiosyncratic style tha dominated the "indie" movement of the mid-nineties. Gray's films are less tarantino or rodriquez and more PT Anderson or Steven Soderbergh (minus the recent string of commercial forays.) It could be said that the oversight is due to Gray's amiable demeanor or quite possibly how his films seem to sustain a lingering effect on the viewer that carries long after leaving the dim confines of a theater. Now, with his latest film, We Own The Night, his style and contribution should be passed over no longer.
WE OWN THE NIGHT:
The title is taken from a phrase on the patch of the NYC police jacket from the 80's.
Though it begins with a montage of vintage NYPD photos set to a slow and moody jazz composition, the film is about the Grusinsky family. A widowed father played by Robert Duvall whose also the Deputy Chief of Police and his two sons. Joseph, played by Mark Wahlberg, a NY cop who tries hard to live in his father's accomplished shadow and Bobby, played by Joaquin Pheonix, the prodigal son who takes his mother's maiden name to avoid any connection to his blue blooded lineage. Bobby plays the other side of the moral fence, scoffing at his brother and father's dedication to the police force and by running the popular nightclub El Caribe, where he knowingly participates in drug fueled party-going while enjoying the company of his seductive Puerto Rican girlfriend Amada, played by Eva Mendes.
As theopening images of NYPD shakedowns fade we hear the first electronic notes of Blondie's Heart of Glass and as the song kicks in we are thrown into the World of Bobby Green. The Successful club manager in the throes of an intimate and brief moment with his sexy and exotic girlfriend. As he emerges from his office he stands, towering over the massive crowd that have come to take part in the excess of the decade. Bobby's at the top of his world, a King looking upon his kingdom with happiness. And it can only get better, as he's promised to shine by the Russian Owner of El Caribe, Marat, who looks at Bobby like a son.
No sooner do we see him on his glamorous "throne" that we follow him as he descends through the throngs of clubgoers, down into the streets to a catholic church where a reception is being held in honor of Joseph. In Bobby's eyes his brother and his fellow men in blue are as much commoners as they are policemen, their reception small and intimate. More like a family reunion than a gala event. And Bobby feels less at home than his exotic girlfriend does.
Soon the paths of these two brothers dangerously intersect when Joseph begins a campaign to thwart the drug operation of a mid-level Russian thug named Victor Nezhinski, a frequent guest at the Club ran by Bobby. Joseph suspects Nezhinski of running his operation out bobby's club and when Bobby refuses to cooperate in his brother's investigation, Joseph makes no hesitation to ignore his brother's comfort and anonymity by going after Nezhinski at El Caribe, right in front of Bobby, an affront Bobby doesn't take lightly and that will test the brothers loyalty for each other. As a reaction Joseph's attack a hit is put out on his life and is almost successful as a hitman puts a bullet in Joseph's face on the eve of Thanksgiving, sending him to the hospital where he lays in critical condition for several months. When Bobby catches word of his brother's attack, he rushes to his side, feeling almost guilty for what's happened. If only he would've cooperated. The fact that both brothers secretly admire the other's life only adds to the bitter pill of Joseph's attack and it is this secret admiration that prompts Bobby to do whatever it takes to avenge his brother. Putting himself in harms way to go after Nezhinski, even at the risk of his secret, his other life being exposed. As he spiral's deeper into his obsessive mission he puts those closest to him in danger, forcing them out of his life.
It's a slow paced and measured film that kicks into a fast and breathtaking follow through.. We Own The Night kicks into high gear after Bobby makes an attempt to blow the cover of Nezhinski's operation, almost losing his life and from that moment on we are thrust into Bobby's paranoia and anxiety as he and Amada are taken from hotel to hotel, kept hidden by the police, desperately trying to stay out of reach of Nezhinski's nefarious and deadly grasp. An Opportunity Director James Gray takes to strap you in and unleash you to the ups and downs of some of the best thrills a movie has delivered in a long time.
With only three films to his name, it's amazing that Director James Gray continues to cement his place as on of our truly talented modern directors and he displays a grasp on technique and style that taken some of his contemporaries decades to hone. His style is quiet and restrained, choosing to let his characters and ideas play out before us rather than rely on flashy editing or bleach bypassed/high contrast film processing. He makes us silent observers, almost accomplices in the lives of his Characters and their travails as the film progresses. With this restrained approach it doesn't force the audience to feel anything and that makes We Own the Night's impact so much more devastating and thought provoking. We Own The Night holds many memorable moments that leave you holding your breath and biting your nails right down to the cuticles. Culminating with a slow and even paced ending that will shatter expectations of what a crime drama should deliver. This film is French Connection with a tragic Greek twist.
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The filmmaker deliver's one of the first deserving Oscar contender's of the fall. From Joaquin Baca-Asay's richly subdued cinematography to John Axelrad's precise cutting, every aspect of this film delivers, in spades. Both aspects are methodically paced and despite its measured execution, the film still delivers some fairly tense set pieces without pandering to the latest gimmicks of shaky handheld camera work or rapid cutting style more akin to today's contemporary thrillers.
The performances of the four main actors are amazing, especially the sibling rivalry, rooted in a deep love and respect between Wahlberg and Pheonix. Robert Duvall and Eva Mendes both deliver great supportive roles, no surprise for the always enjoyable Duvall but I was actually impressed by Eva Mendes' performance (let's hope she does less fast and furious and more We Own The Night type films.) Her Amada is ripe with emotional conflict. Torn between her love for Bobby and the comfortable and glamorous life he's setup for her. She's not just some vacuous moll that hangs on the shoulder of the nightclub manager boyfriend. When she leaves Bobby midway, we never know for sure whether she's alive or not, but we do know that she never leaves Bobby's mind, a thought that tortures him through to the conclusion of the film.
My hope with We Own The Night is that many, many, many people will go out and enjoy this film as deeply as I did. I have to say that since I've seen this film, two weeks ago, not a day goes by where I don't ponder a line or a shot from this film. It's lasting power deeply setting in. And I hope all who see it, feel the same way.
We Own The Night is rated R for Violence, language and sexual content.
Enjoy,
Chaz