We Own The Night (DVD)

** We Own The Night **- May contain spoilers!!


Director- James Gray
Produced by- Joaquin Phoenix
Edited- John Axelrad
Distributed by- Universal and Colombia Pictures
Runtime Time- 117min
Certificate- 15
Released- Dec 14 07
Genre- Crime/ Thriller/ Gangster

< Narrative >

Set in 1988-1989, We Own the Night stars award winner Joaquin Phoenix as ...
...
The story of We Own the Night was influenced by many situations. The writers wanted something different, a film that was dramatic and had immediate action.
The narrative was also influenced by a New York Times police story. There was a police story in the paper of a Policemans funeral and they liked the idea of using this in the film which you will see is a brilliant scene. There was also a lot of research done for the film, this ... more

** We Own The Night **- May contain spoilers!!

Director- James Gray
Produced by- Joaquin Phoenix
Edited- John Axelrad
Distributed by- Universal and Colombia Pictures
Runtime Time- 117min
Certificate- 15
Released- Dec 14 07
Genre- Crime/ Thriller/ Gangster

< Narrative >

Set in 1988-1989, We Own the Night stars award winner Joaquin Phoenix as Bobby Green a manager of a successful nightclub in Brooklyn, New York owned by a Russian family. Bobby has turned his back on the family trade of Law Enforcement to live a life of money, drugs and management. His father played by Robert Duvall is Dept of the department and at the start has turned his back on his son Bobby because of the life he leads. Bobby's brother Joseph played by Mark Wahlberg is also a police man and is a Captain. Bobby comes face to face with his brother when Joseph storms his club and arrests drug dealers including Bobby with possession.

A war breaks out between the law enforcement and the Russian Mafia gang which puts bobby in a difficult situation. He will have to choose between his career and reputation and his family and the law.

< Casting >• Joaquin Phoenix- Bobby green

• Joaquin was chosen because he had already worked with director James in The yards and James has a respect or Joaquin.
  • Eva Mendes- Amanda Juarez
• Eva was casted because James loved her look and thought she had an intelligent and interesting personality.
  • Robert Duvall- Dept Burt Grusinsky
  • Mark Wahlberg- Capt Joseph Grusinsky
  • Alex Veadov- Vadim Nezhinski

Director James Gray had also directed The Yards 2003 and Two Lovers 2008.
I hadn't heard of James Gray before so this didn't influence why I saw the film.
I though it looked interesting and I am a fan of gangster/ police films. Also I am a fan of Joaquin Phoenix and liked his role in Gladiator, he is a uprising star and is very respected by directors. < Background>

The story of We Own the Night was influenced by many situations. The writers wanted something different, a film that was dramatic and had immediate action.
The narrative was also influenced by a New York Times police story. There was a police story in the paper of a Policemans funeral and they liked the idea of using this in the film which you will see is a brilliant scene. There was also a lot of research done for the film, this included policemen in the 80's. The weaponry, costumes and attitudes were all actually how 80's police would be like. The cast were also made to watch the films The Godfather and Taxi Driver to show them what kind of dark film James was going for. The details of the film were thought out specifically to look like the time era. Even the small details such as the police badges were thought of and they wear real pins from the 80's. I thought the research made the film realistic and it defiantly gave the 80's feel to it. There was even research into drug packaging and the Russian Maffia. The film also includes some of the eighties music such as Blondie which gives it a classic eighties retro feel.

< Opinion >

The film was put together very well and the casting was right in each part.
The representation of police and Russian Gangsters are very realistic to what they were like in the eighties. The police are highly loyal to each other and are committed to protecting the neighbourhood. Also Russian Mafia hit men are shown as dangerous but intelligent. They are very motivated men with money always on the mind.

The film shows two major ideological values. The first is the dominance of the male gender. As the crime/gangster genre is more of a masculine genre females have limited roles in the film. These are the usual mothers, daughters and girlfriends.
The men ruled the streets in the eighties and this is clear of the way everything was in this period of time. Police and gangsters were always male.
The second message shown throughout the film is the strong value of family and loyalty. We own the night show this is the main feature of the film, loyalty of family is important.

What I liked about the film is that it is filmed in a grainy way so it is dark and has a gritty feel to it. The cuts are done fast with the action and there is also a use of flashbacks in the film. Flashbacks are a great way of making editing more interesting to the audience. Joseph has flashbacks to constantly remind him how dangerous the Russian Gangsters are.

The film starts in a very interesting way. There are shots of police, crime and violence in the eighties which flash up on the screen while the titles appear these gives the audience a suggestion of what the film is going to be about. I think this is a good way to give the theme of the film.

I also liked how some of the scenes were filmed. One of these scenes was based in the Russian Maffia main lair where Bobby goes with Nezhinski the main dealer of the city to see what new drug they were planning to bring into New York. In this scene there are fantastic sound effects used which really stood out to me. As they talk and try out the new drug police storm the hideout and a shotgun is fired right next to Bobby's ear. This obviously shatters his ear drum as he covers his ears in pain. James Gray uses the exacted sounds to what happens when you have a perforated ear drum. All you can hear is a high pitched noise and muffles shots and screams around. This reminded me of that feeling you get when your ears pop badly on a plane. All you can hear is muffles voices and a high pitched noise. I felt really involved in the action and it made it realistic and interested in what was happening to Bobby.

Another scene I found highly interesting is a car chase scene. Bobby and his father are ambushed by Russian hit men on the free way. This is a very intense picture of what times could be like when being involved in gangsters. The action is very fast but has a major meaning to it. There are 3 cars on the highway, Bobby's, his dads and the gangsters. The weather reflects the mood, raining and mist; it gives an eerie, depressing feeling.

Bobby follows his father when suddenly a car cuts in front of him. He immediate knows who it could be and the panic in his face tells you there must be something horrid to follow. The cuts are fast from Bobby's face, to the car in front pulling up beside his father's car. The music is slow which contrasts with the action laid out before you. There is a lot of close ups used especially on Bobby's face. It is a very hard-hitting when suddenly you see a masked man lean out his window and shot a single bullet straight into Bobby's father. The emotion in Bobby's face is very heart hitting and I felt quite overwhelmed.

We own the Night is a very classic, hard hitting film. It is very authentic and I love the way it was film kind of similar to a Blanc noir film. There is always low lighting used, shadowy in the streets giving the film the dark, sinister atmosphere it needs.

< Extras >

• The film grossed a world wide total of $54.5m.
• Rated 54% Rotten tomatoes
• Film locations- Brooklyn NYC
Queens NYC
Washington, NYC 

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