Movie Review: Four Brothers (2005)
Critical Critic: General Disdain | Published on: September 24, 2005 |
Filed under: Action/Adventure, Crime, Drama
Directed By: John Singleton
MPAA Rating: R
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Sofía Vergara, André Benjamin
IMDB Link: Four Brothers
Movie Trailer:
Just what the doctor ordered. A good ‘ole street-banging action flick by none other than John Singleton
(whatever happened to him after Boyz n the Hood?). Four Brothers chronicles the actions of 4 adopted boys who seek to exact revenge on the people who killed their adoptive mother. . .a slight twist to the urban action-drama genre.
To say the least Four Brothers delivers on action. Damn near every scene is violent. Not the ridiculous violence you would see in a Rambo movie, but more of a grittier, realistic variety. What else could one expect in the streets of Detroit? Aside from the action, Four Brothers actually has some well developed characters. Mark Wahlberg plays the tough guy ‘main’ brother who is always in trouble. Tyrese Gibson is the brother who is in love and searches for affection. Andr頂enjamin is the brother who is trying to claw his way out of the ghetto. Garrett Hedlund portrays the artistic, lost soul brother. All compliment each other and their rapport is touching. When they interacted with one another during calmer times it was clear they all cared greatly for each other. No doubt, as I believe John Singleton crafts relationships well in his movies.
On the downside of Four Brothers is the total lack of police presence. Aside from the few times Lt. Green (Terrence Howard) pops into the movie there is quite literally no cops anywhere. There are quite literally 5 minute gun battles going on and not a single fucking cop shows up. Now from what I hear the cops in Detroit are basically worthless husks of dried shit, but this takes the cake! Also, Detroit seems to be a barren wasteland. No cars on the roads. No people in the streets. Isn’t this city the 6th or 7th largest city in the country? Lastly, I never knew black people played hockey. I was under the assumption hockey is a white mans sport. But everywhere you look kids are playing hockey. Maybe it’s just Detroit. . .the bizarro world city. Or maybe whitey has lost his hold on all major sports in the country (if you call hockey a major sport of course).
Overall, the movie is quite entertaining even if there are several stretches of far-fetchedness. See it.
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About: General Disdain I'm an old, miserable fart set in his ways. Some of the things that bring a smile to my face are (in no particular order): Teenage back acne, the rain on my face, long walks on the beach and redneck women named Francis. Oh yeah, I like to watch and criticize movies. |
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Nashtradomus posted a response on: September 28, 2005 | Reply
John Singleton helms “Four Brothers,” one of this year’s more intense and interesting films. Seeing the promos for this movie had me watching this movie with no real expectations, but this movie was suprisingly well done with relatively strong cast members.
Although this movie starts with a clear agenda in the beginning scenes, slowly you notice that there are some implausible loopholes in this film. First, I know the movie takes places in the urban city of Detroit, but really, would a man be able to actually pull a gun in the middle of a high school gym and not be arrested immediately? Then, do we ever find out why “Victor Sweet” wanted momma dead? Just because she filed a police report against him? Couldn’t the token “dirty white cop” just shown it to the boss and left it at that? And the purpose of talking about an elderly couple having an affair? I just don’t get it.
Having said that, action fans won’t be disappointed with the body count, firearm discharge and some wild car crashes, and there is enough humour to keep the fare from getting too dark. You will also find that the film is not taken over by the action, but is driven by the dialogue and characters.
All in all Four Brother’s does make for an enjoyable night at the movies.
I rate this movie B-