Monday, April 21, 2008
URBAN WESTERN
Today's film was
I watched this because I watch all the Mark Wahlberg films.
It was OK.
It is a set of film clichés set in an unusual way. Like a western with the good brother and bad brother and hard father and the bad guys and how the brothers get together eventually through hard straits.
Then overlay the battle between the NYCPD and a Russian mob (the bad guys) in the Queens and you get the idea.
In this kind of thing, style is all and the film is pretty good until the bad brother begins to move over to the good side.
I think this is because the tension is lost when this happens and it happened way early at about half way.
This is really Joaquin Phoenix' movie and Wahlberg (the good one) is pretty much assigned to be supportive. The Dad is a great Robert Duval. Eva Mendez is the love/lust interest and, for once, the brothers don't battle on that ground at all.
I liked it mostly.
I will give it a 3 out of Netflix5.
