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The Yards

Play trailer Poster for The Yards R 2000 1h 55m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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64% Tomatometer 98 Reviews 52% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
After serving time in prison for taking the fall for a group of his friends, Leo just wants to get his life back on track. So he goes to the one place he thinks will be safe -- home. There he takes a new job with his highly connected and influential uncle. But in the yards, where his uncle now pulls the strings, safe is not how they do business. Unwittingly, he's drawn into a world of sabotage, high stakes payoffs and even murder.
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The Yards

The Yards

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Critics Consensus

Featuring strong performances and direction, The Yards is a richly textured crime thriller with an authentic feel.

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Critics Reviews

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Richard Brody The New Yorker Jun 28, 2021
The tangle of family, business, and crime, with its resulting loyalties and betrayals, is the volatile stuff of which the drama is made. Go to Full Review Todd McCarthy Variety Aug 5, 2008
An On the Waterfront wannabe, directed with a heavy portentousness that smothers the drama in a thick sauce of self-importance. Go to Full Review Andrew Sarris Observer Apr 27, 2007
I can't remember when a film so well-acted and so well-rendered visually was also so oppressive to sit through. Go to Full Review A.S. Hamrah The Baffler Sep 16, 2020
The outer boroughs in James Gray's New York are forlorn, and The Yards is a lament for a good-hearted white loser... Go to Full Review Antonia Quirke Independent on Sunday Nov 28, 2017
It has a terrific subject, an unimprovable cast and a trio of trustworthy, even hip, producers. And no life. Go to Full Review Nick Rogers Midwest Film Journal Dec 15, 2010
3.5/4
How "The Yards" shifts toward crime drama through character rather than pure plot is hard to disclose without divesting twists. Inspired by real-life scandal, James Gray lets personal insight color Shakespearean shenanigans of privilege, panic and power. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Thomas V @TomVee Sep 8, 2026 A slow burn tale of city corruption with fine performances from a stacked cast. There's some fine but not flashy cinematography as well, which really does a good job establishing its cynical tone and tense mood. In addition, there's just the right amount of action to keep audiences awake (it is noticeably slow paced, which isn't a criticism, just a fact). See more Jack H @JackaDie Jul 12, 2026 i found this a surprisingly delicate film. It clearly deserves a higher RT score See more Matthew D @OceanSage Jan 27, 2026 Darkness is in the train yards and the souls of wicked men in James Gray’s fantastic crime drama. Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix are fantastic in James Gray’s dark and gritty crime drama The Yards (2000). I don’t know how I had not seen this, but it’s fantastic. Gray portrays the seedy underbelly of the corrupt business of train yards that have their own payoffs and mafia style hits to knee cap the competition. Mark Wahlberg is excellent as the perpetual fall guy Leo Handler. Wahlberg feels like a gullible, if well intentioned rube, who keeps taking the morally bankrupt path. Wahlberg gives one of his best acting performances in The Yards. Joaquin Phoenix is amazing as the sleazy Willie Gutierrez, who deals with bribes, all for his own benefit. He’s great as a selfish prick who would turn on his old friend. His lying and glares all look so sinister. Charlize Theron is gorgeous and touching as Phoenix’s Goth girlfriend Erica Soltz, who doesn’t know what type of guy she’s dating. See more keven q @kevenquinlan Oct 7, 2025 It's ok. Worth a watch if you have nothing better to do. Great cast but the story doesn't really evolve into much and it ends rather abruptly and unceremoniously. I'm not going to keep it in my collection but not bummed I watched it. See more Arthur D @RT98367285 Aug 4, 2025 Acting was good. Interesting plot and resolution to the issue. Sometimes it seemed to lag. At times the viewer did not know what was going to happen next. See more Steve D @RT35616104 Jan 31, 2024 A strong cast and not much else. See more Read all reviews
The Yards

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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James Gray

Director

Mark Wahlberg

Leo Handler

Joaquin Phoenix

Willie Gutierrez

Charlize Theron

Erica Stoltz

James Caan

Frank Olchin

Ellen Burstyn

Val Handler

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The Yards

James Caan (left) with Joaquin Phoenix. Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg. Director James Gray (I) with Victor Arnold on the set. Charlize Theron. Mark Wahlberg. Charlize Theron and Joaquin Phoenix. Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg. The Yards (2000) The Yards (2000) The Yards (2000) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis After serving time in prison for taking the fall for a group of his friends, Leo just wants to get his life back on track. So he goes to the one place he thinks will be safe -- home. There he takes a new job with his highly connected and influential uncle. But in the yards, where his uncle now pulls the strings, safe is not how they do business. Unwittingly, he's drawn into a world of sabotage, high stakes payoffs and even murder.
Director
James Gray
Producer
Kerry Orent, Paul Webster, Nick Wechsler
Screenwriter
James Gray, Matt Reeves
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Miramax Films, Industry Entertainment
Rating
R (Scene of Sexuality|Language|Violence)
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 27, 2000, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$882.7K
Runtime
1h 55m
Sound Mix
SDDS, DTS, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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