We Own the Night

By Linda Winsh-Bolard

"We Own the Night" was supposedly the slogan of the New York police in the 1980s, painted on the sides of their squad cars as a promise to take back the night from the drug trade.

I have no memory of any such thing on the NYPD cars and perhaps it is as much urban legend as other things in the film.

Deputy chief of police Grusinski (Robert Duval) has two sons, Joseph (Mark Wahlberg) who joined the police and follows in his father's steps and Bobby (Joaquin Phoenix) who likes the night life with all it has to offer and manages one of the night clubs in Brighton Beach owned by Russian fur importer Marat Bushayev (Moni Moshonov).

When the Russians move into drug market, Joseph, while looking for the chief drug smuggler, Bushayev's nephew Nezhinski, with large police force, raids the new Manhattan club where Bobby now works, and arrests two of the mafia men as well as Bobby.

While returning home Joseph is shot and his car is set on fire.

By a chance Bobby, who uses his mother's maiden name Green, is approached by Nezhinski, who admits that he arranged Joseph's assassination, to help him to move a load of drugs he has coming.

The sight of Joseph in a hospital room turned Billy and he helps the police to catch Nezhinski, (Alex Veadov). Unfortunately his cover is blown and he is forced, under police protection, to run away with his girlfriend Amanda. She tells her best mate where they are, and the resulting car chase and shootout leave Billy's father dead.

Bobby joins the police force, Amanda (Eva Mendes) leaves him. But Billy's on warpath for his father and even losing his beloved will not change it.

First of all, don't be fooled by the name. It is neither about nightclubs, nor about nightlife and although drugs and mafia are deadly present, this film is about loyalties, familial and others, friendship and honor, if not among thieves.

It is striped down genre of two brothers caught on opposite sides of the game. Third in James Gray's obsession with Brighton Beach, New York, and its population (Little Odessa and The Yards previously) It's snappily shot and edited. Stylistically it could have been shot in the 1988, when the action is supposedly taking place. As per novelty in the story line, that is not a strong point. It is unlikely that in a small world of Brighton Beach a change of name would protect Bobby it is equally unlikely that the cops would not expect reprisal.
It has also become the order of the day to have Russian mafia and the film reminds me of the Departed.

Joaquin Phoenix is admirable bad boy who enjoys drinking, slugging and his beautiful, sexy and strangely characterless girlfriend Eva Mendes. When faced with family tragedy he grudgingly makes unpleasant, complicated choices between blood relations and friends, who while gone bad, gave him good opportunity to make a career for himself, legitimately, and trusted him enough to let him know about their dark side.

Phoenix'scharacter is the focal point, his opponent- acting partner is Robert Duval in one of his well portrayed father figure roles, Duval is good in all of them. Wahlberg has little to do but be a good upstanding citizen, Eva Mendes is there simply to show some sexy kitten.

Those who remember The World, The Tunnel and the club scene of the late 80's Manhattan might be a bit surprised how sordid it all looks on the screen. Perhaps it was. Perhaps the glamor and fun was in perception. On the other hand, it did have more to offer than sleazy Vegas comedians.