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In 1988 New York City, Bobby Green (Joaquin Phoenix) is at the top of his game. He’s the manager of one of the city’s most popular clubs—and he’s finally convinced his boss to consider letting him start the club of his dreams in Manhattan. Everyone loves Bobby; he’s the life of every party. But nobody—not even his best friend—knows about his past…or his family.
Meanwhile, in a very different part of the city, Bobby’s brother, Captain Joseph Grusinsky (Mark Wahlberg), is at the top of his game, too. He’s just been promoted to the head of the narcotics division—and their father, Chief Burt Grasinsky (Robert Duvall), couldn’t be more proud. But Joseph knows that he faces a serious problem—because his brother’s club is the center of some pretty serious drug action.
When Joseph decides to go after the Russians who are running drugs out of Bobby’s club, Bobby finds himself with a major decision to make—especially when he discovers that his family is in danger.
A lot of the old standard storylines play out in We Own the Night: sibling rivalry, the prodigal son, good cop vs. bad guys, the war against drugs. And perhaps that’s the film’s biggest problem—because it’s already been done. We’ve seen it all before. There aren’t many surprises (except for the shockingly graphic opening scene, which is completely out of place with the rest of the movie), and it’s not all that original. The story is pretty cut-and-dried: the cops are good; the other guys are bad. It doesn’t challenge its viewers; it doesn’t give you something to think about as the credits roll.
Of course, We Own the Night does offer a few good moments. Phoenix is solid as a coked-up club manager—though his performance becomes less and less believable as the story progresses. And there are some genuinely emotional moments. But when it all comes down to it, there just isn’t enough emotion. The characters aren’t complex enough to be really interesting (except for Phoenix’s character, early in the film)—and, by the end of the story, it’s hard to feel much of anything.
We Own the Night isn’t a bad movie. It’s not filled with bad acting or horribly cheesy dialogue. It’s not completely cliché or ridiculously over the top. But it’s not a solid movie, either. The story’s somewhat interesting. The characters are somewhat interesting. There’s some action and some drama. But it’s nothing new and nothing special—and it’s all just a little too familiar. And, in the end, it left me feeling nothing but indifferent.
