We Own the Night (Gray)

[DavidSeven]

There was a bit of an urge to shut this one off through the first 45 minutes. It's not that I was necessarily disengaged from what I was seeing, but there was a sense that this was another one of those run-of-the-mill drug/cop/mob films that really wasn't worth my time. While the film didn't really defy those expectations, I still felt satisfied once it was over. Maybe I just saw it at the right time, but it was refreshing to see a film that just sort of "got to the point." No subplots. No tangents. No obsessive desire to give every single character their own feature's worth of thematic ideas. Lately, I've seen a number of poor, good, and even great films that felt bloated in their own way. There may not be much that's substantial about the narrative, characters, or ideas of We Own the Night. However, I admired the film for presenting a clear through line for Phoenix's character, and its focused story vision. It's elevated above being average by a few very well executed set pieces and James Gray's rough yet visually appealing style. You can tell by the choices that this was the work of a director who really contemplated the aesthetic of his piece and who also felt confident in the central story he wanted to tell. It's a feeling that's too uncommon these days.

[***]

[Boner M]

However, I admired the film for presenting a clear through line for Phoenix's character, and its focused story vision. It's elevated above being average by a few very well executed set pieces and James Gray's rough yet visually appealing style. You can tell by the choices that this was the work of a director who really contemplated the aesthetic of his piece and who also felt confident in the central story he wanted to tell. It's a feeling that's too uncommon these days.
Indeed. I kinda agree with Rowland that the film isn't as emotionally engaging as it wants to be, but the amount of care that Gray treats the material with had me absorbed in turn. The film's mood of dank, nightmarish trauma has lingered with me.

[DavidSeven]

Yeah, the film does lack some emotional sting. With that and little more originality, we might really have something here. Still appreciate Gray's work and intentions though.