We Own the Night

(Columbia Pictures)

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes

A cop drama done right! In the midst of the New York’s fight against drugs in the late 80s, cops are cracking down. Joseph (Wahlberg) is the good son that follows in his father’s footsteps to become a successful cop, while his brother Bobby (Phoenix) is the lucrative manager of a Brooklyn club that’s home to the very drug dealers that the cops are trying to nail. Bobby finds himself torn between his real family that has always been disappointed in his drug loving ways and his pseudo family that has helped him become ‘the king of New York’. Although there are some bloody scenes and lots of gun action, the underlying family drama and love affair between Bobby and Amada (Mendes) make this suspenseful thriller one that everyone can enjoy. Mark Wahlberg has proven to find his niche as a hard as nails cop (think The Departed), and Joaquin Phoenix can do no wrong. What’s with him playing drug addicts?