We Own the Night

57% of critics liked it

63% of users liked it

Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg
In theaters Oct 12, 2007
R, 1 hr. 57 min.

Movie Info

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Robert Duvall, Antoni Corone, Moni Moshonov, Alex Veadov, Tony Musante, Christopher Walken
Director: James Gray
Rated: R
Running Time: 1 hr. 57 min.
Genre: Drama, Action & Adventure
Theater Release: Oct 12, 2007
DVD Release: Feb 13, 2008
Synopsis: Set against the backdrop of the bloody battle waged between New York City cops and the Russian mafia in the 1980s, director James Gray's period drama tells the tale of an emerging club manager whose family ties to law enforcement make him a target for the city's most dangerous criminals. Bobby Green (Joaquin Phoenix) manages one of Gotham's hottest clubs, but being in the club scene often means turning a blind eye to blatant criminal activities. Realizing that his career -- and perhaps his life

Critic Reviews

  • Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
    An intriguing blend of mainstream audience-pleaser and a more subtle, even intellectual agenda. More...
  • Bob Mondello, NPR.org
    It's not surprising, but it's engaging enough that most patrons will likely cut the director some slack for the out-of-period details and convoluted plot contrivances that make the film seem at once sloppy and too neat. More...
  • Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
    [Gray's] feel for dialogue has rarely failed him, and it doesn't here. More...
  • Jonathan Crocker, Time Out
    A desperate violence and urgency spills out in the film's flash-point set-pieces - not least a sensational car chase, shot through a windscreen, hammering rain and a blur of fear. More...
  • Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
    This one hangs on the notion of fate, and once you've figured out whose fate is the central issue, the outcome -- even with those clumsy plot twists -- is fairly predictable. More...
  • Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
    As flat-footed as writer-director James Gray's script often sounds, his cops-vs.-mob tale can be strangely mesmerizing. More...
  • Paul Clinton (CNN.com), CNN.com
    Time will tell, but from where I'm sitting this deceptively routine cop movie runs deep. In fact, it already looks like a classic. Cagney and Tracy would be proud. More...
  • Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
    [With so many] plot twists and turns, it's almost like a bad parody of a Western. More...
  • Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald
    All the picture really needed, though, was a little more sweat and grit and a little less concern about its own self-importance. More...
  • Peter Howell, Toronto Star
    Highly derivative of 1970s films. Sometimes 'good enough' just isn't good enough. More...