Old School Cool

by Philbert Ortiz Dy
posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 in Movie Reviews

They don’t make films like We Own the Night anymore. Though the film can be pretty paint-by-numbers at times, it’s adherence to the classic rules of filmmaking actually make it refreshing in an age of gee-whiz flash-bang action cinema.

The film centers on Bobby Green, a manager of a popular nightclub in 1988 New York City that’s frequented by Russian gangsters. It turns out that Bobby is related to the two top cops in the NYPD, though he doesn’t want anything to do with them. That all changes when his brother is the target of a vicious attack, and Bobby has to make a choice: do nothing, or the right thing.

There aren’t too many surprises in this movie, but that plays to the strengths of the film. What this film nurtures is a feeling of inevitability, this constant tumbling towards impossibly difficult decisions. The strength of the script is in making the obviously right choice unavoidable, but still challenging. It makes for great drama, even when we know what’s going to happen.

It’s really all about Joaquin Phoenix, who just makes us feel so much for his character, Bobby Green. He puts on a pretty complex performance, going through a rollercoaster of emotions as everything in his life begins to change. Phoenix is really good at portraying conflicted characters, and he brings the audience right along with him as he gets torn apart. It’s a joy to watch this actor in his prime.

The film in general is pretty low-key, relying mostly on the strong performances and character development to keep the audience interested. There are a few action scenes, but they’re a far cry from the kind of action we’ve come to expect from movies. What we get instead is realistic, almost subdued action; the kind we might actually see in real life. And it works well enough for this movie, although some audiences may want more than that.

We Own the Night doesn’t have that Hollywood gloss, but it doesn’t really seem to need it. It’s a film that’s really just concerned about telling its story effectively, without all the bells and whistles of your typical big-budget production. It goes as far as giving the film a faded look, since it adds a layer of atmosphere and tone that the richness of modern production often omits.

We Own the Night is just solid, if unspectacular. But maybe we could use a little less spectacle in our lives anyway.

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