When their adopted mother is murdered in a grocery store robbery, four estranged brothers return to the rough Detroit neighbourhood to bury their beloved mother, but also to seek vengeance for her death. Turning the neighbourhood upside down in search of the killers, they soon discover things are not all they seem.
The other day I watched an old John Wayne western called "The Sons of Katie Elder" which sees 4 brothers' return to their homestead to bury their mother and seek revenge for a handful of wrong doings. It was thoroughly enjoyable, but the whole time I had a nagging feeling that I recognized the storyline from a much more recent movie and then it hit me. John Singleton's "Four Brothers" pretty much uses an identical plot line but in a more contemporary situation and does a brilliant job of making a film which could easily be a western if it was not situated in modern day Detroit. From having four rough brothers returning back to town, the beloved mother and plenty of shoot outs as well as chases, everything about "Four Brothers" reminded me of a really good old fashioned western.
Well with that in mind it would be hypocritical of me to say the plot was in any way original, heck I reckon there must be hundreds if not
thousands of films which use a similar plot line to drive the entertainment onwards. But what "Four Brothers" manages to achieve where other fail, is to make the whole thing feel fresh and exciting with a perfect balance of action, emotion, humour and a storyline which throws you around a bit, keeping you guessing, before setting you down on a path to what is in all reality a predictable outcome. But don't let the thought of any predictability put you off, as along the way "Four Brothers" has enough clout about it to keep you engaged in what is going on and locks you in as it toys with your emotions. Even the outcome has enough tension that you forget that it is what you guessed and you are actually waiting for a sudden twist and when it doesn't arrive you are not in any way disappointed, if anything you are completely satisfied as the film has ended just at the right time, with the right ending.
Where the film really holds it own is in the balance between the different elements, be it plot, action, humour or acting. Through out the entire film the main emphasis is always on the plot and for its 104 minute duration I cannot say that once did it feel like it was becoming boring or it was dragging its feet. This is down to some really decent action sequences but also a few moments of humour which stops it from feeling overly heavy and also monotonous. Something I usually find disappointing in modern films is, what is in my opinion, the need to make the action sequences bigger, better and more totally unbelievable than the last film in the same genre. Thankfully the action sequences in "Four Brothers" are not only exhilarating and explosive but they are for the most believable, stopping just short of being over the top and laughable. Talking of laughable, but in a good way, the film is dispersed with moments of humour which never for a minute feel contrived. Watching the brothers taking the Michael out of each other after years of being estranged, gives the film a really warm, fun feeling but without spoiling the overall intensity of the story.
Another bug bear I have with many modern films is that they are often just a vehicle to showcase the lead actors somewhat dubious ability to perform in front of the camera. Thankfully "Four Brothers" definitely does not fit this case, yes it has "Marky" Mark Wahlberg as Bobby Mercer, who is pretty much the linchpin to the entire film, but the performances from the other brothers Tyrese Gibson as Angel, André Benjamin as Jeremiah and Garrett Hedlund as Jack are as convincing, powerful and engaging as that of Wahlberg. But the good performances do not stop with just the brothers and with a cast which includes Fionnula Flanagan, Josh Charles, Terrence Howard and also Chiwetel Ejiofor, who surprisingly takes on a nasty role you are spoilt with choice when it comes to the quality of the performances. It is not just the performances that sell "Four Brothers" for me; it is the well defined characters which add to the overall enjoyment. From Bobby Mercer who takes on the role of leader, through to Jack who seems highly emotional and not completely at ease with the roughness of revenge, each character is unique and helps you in one way or another to connect with them.
I suppose if you wanted to get critical and over analyse the film, you could probably pick holes in both the plot and performances. But then for once I didn't notice the holes or any dodgy performances as the overall factor is that "Four Brothers" is a very entertaining film which captures your attention from the moment it starts and doesn't let go until after the credits have rolled. What in anyone else's hands other than director John Singletons, "Four Brothers" would have turned into just another average action flick, but instead we have a film which delivers plot, emotion, entertainment, action and excitement in perfect measures throughout, a surprisingly pleasurable watch.
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Price & Availability
Amazon.co.uk: £4.97
Technical Details
Certificate: 15 Duration: 104 mins Year of Release: 2005 Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Director(s): John Singleton Writer(s): David Elliot, Paul Lovett Producer(s): Lorenzo di Bonaventura
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, André Benjamin, Garrett Hedlund, Terrence Howard, Josh Charles, Sofía Vergara, Fionnula Flanagan, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
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