Columbia Pictures | Release Date: October 12, 2007
6.2
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 92 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
51
Mixed:
26
Negative:
15
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6
ArthurL.Oct 18, 2007
This film was a snore. Duvall slept thru his performance. The sex scene with Ms. Mendes was over-hyped. Wahlberg continues to perplex me; maybe he's still wearing CK's under his jeans. And Joaquin Phoenix, in not his strongest This film was a snore. Duvall slept thru his performance. The sex scene with Ms. Mendes was over-hyped. Wahlberg continues to perplex me; maybe he's still wearing CK's under his jeans. And Joaquin Phoenix, in not his strongest performance for a long time, still manages to dominate whatever emotive qualities there are in this porr imitation of The Departed. Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful
4
pocumtuckMar 14, 2011
This movie just didn't cut it. A guy (J. Phoenix) doesn't go from being a nightclub manager inside a drug den to becoming a decorated cop simply because his high-ranking father got killed. Mark Wahlberg gets shot execution style but lives...This movie just didn't cut it. A guy (J. Phoenix) doesn't go from being a nightclub manager inside a drug den to becoming a decorated cop simply because his high-ranking father got killed. Mark Wahlberg gets shot execution style but lives... only in the movies. The plot lines aren't well developed. The viewer never gets to identify with any of the characters because they're all generic stereotypes, and many of the scenes are incredibly boring. I'm glad I watched this on DVD and could use the fast-forward button; an hour-and-45 minute flick took just 45 minutes to watch, and it still lacked entertainment value. Expand
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4
oniscoJan 25, 2018
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The movie gets progressively worse, so much so that several scenes and story turns from the second part had the effects of comedy (parody) rather than drama. The very last scene sees the brothers exhanging muffled affectionate words ("I love you") that close the movie on a supposedly positive note, while the parable followed by the main character looks like one of surrendering to family bonds based on guilt.

The Godfather comes to mind as an example where a similar theme is developed in a more conscious and dramatically convincing way. (This is also true for the subordinate role of the main female characters.)

Here, the idea of a parallel between the police and the mafia family is not developed, but only casually hinted at in the final pathetic words spoken by the villain and his uncle ("Bobby", "I'm sorry"). These scenes, too, are ruined by an involuntary comedic effect.

Characters, including the main ones, are ultimately thin and barely developed.

The screenwriting is subpar.
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5
JayH.Feb 7, 2008
Imagine, a story about two brothers on opposite sides of the law..like that hasn't been done a million times before! Besides it's lack of originality, it has a negativity that leaves the viewer with a foul taste. It has one great Imagine, a story about two brothers on opposite sides of the law..like that hasn't been done a million times before! Besides it's lack of originality, it has a negativity that leaves the viewer with a foul taste. It has one great car chase, the rest is predictable and slow moving. The characters are poorly developed. It is well produced however, and the actors do indeed try. Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
MarkC.Nov 6, 2007
First off, why all the Departed comparisons? Is it because of the stellar cast in an average movie with an anticlimactic ending. Because thats about all the comparisons that I noticed, well maybe the cops and badguys thing but C'mon. First off, why all the Departed comparisons? Is it because of the stellar cast in an average movie with an anticlimactic ending. Because thats about all the comparisons that I noticed, well maybe the cops and badguys thing but C'mon. This movie was just OK, not great but worth watching. Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
fatsmileyOct 16, 2007
Calling this film unoriginal would be a serious understatement. I had hoped these were going to be dark and complex characters, but they weren't, they were whiney and annoying. And you couldn't care less about the problems of these Calling this film unoriginal would be a serious understatement. I had hoped these were going to be dark and complex characters, but they weren't, they were whiney and annoying. And you couldn't care less about the problems of these 2 brothers or what happens to them, since all we know about them is that ones a cop and one is a night club manager - and dad favors one over the other. It's almost like you're dropped into the middle of this film, like you missed the first hour. Also, I thought this film would have strongly benefited from more camera angles, sharper editing and most importantly, heavier mood music ....something, ANYTHING to bring you into this bland story. Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
HurQlezJul 25, 2019
A bland cop movie that doesn't really stand out as much as I remember. The acting was as bland as the blue filter they placed in the movie.
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