Four Brothers (2005)

52% of critics liked it
(131 reviews)
83% of users liked it
(367,861 ratings)

Four men come together to find out how and why the woman who raised them was killed in this hard-edged urban drama from director John Singleton. Short-tempered Bobby (Mark Wahlberg), struggling musician Jack (Garrett Hedlund), streetwise Angel (Tyrese Gibson), and hard-working Jeremiah (Andre… More Four men come together to find out how and why the woman who raised them was killed in this hard-edged urban drama from director John Singleton. Short-tempered Bobby (Mark Wahlberg), struggling musician Jack (Garrett Hedlund), streetwise Angel (Tyrese Gibson), and hard-working Jeremiah (Andre Benjamin) are four guys who don't appear to have much in common, in terms of either race or temperament. However, these men have one very important bond -- all four were adopted and raised by the same woman (Fionnula Flanagan), and they all love her as a mother, and respect one another as brothers. When their mother is killed during a robbery at a grocery store, the four brothers come together for the funeral, but when they don't get straight answers about what happened to her, they begin looking into the crime themselves. The deeper they dig into the case, the more the brothers begin to suspect that the shooting wasn't an accident, and that powerful and unexpected forces were involved. Four Brothers marked one of the first starring roles for Andre Benjamin, better known as Andre 3000 of the top selling hip-hop group OutKast. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 48 min.
Directed By: John Singleton
Written By: David Elliott, Paul Lovett
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure

In Theaters: Aug 12, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Dec 20, 2005
Studio: Paramount Pictures

Critic Reviews

Michael Atkinson, Village Voice
Unremarkably schizophrenic -- half gritty sojourn into the inner-city furnace, half Hollywood brain death.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
Four Brothers is a violent, macho story with a perfect feel for the dynamics between four tough guys who will do anything for each other.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
As long as the action snaps and the violence feels (somewhat) righteous, there'll always be a place for movies such as Four Brothers -- on rainy Saturdays, on TNT.
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
If Four Brothers spent half as much energy making us feel something for its heroes as it spent making us feel nothing for their victims, it would be a far better, and far more engaging, film.
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post
Loud, stupid, unrealistic, overdone, without a thought in its ugly little head and kind of enjoyable.
Mike Clark, USA Today
The sometimes absurd Brothers works only on a larger-than-life level. But on that level, the zest is back.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies
Feels like a nervous student's heavily footnoted thesis film.
Joshua Starnes, ComingSoon.net
Four Brothers tries to mix the revenge quest with the drama of the four boys finding and learning about each other again. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media
A rowdy, brutal revenge movie -- not for kids.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...a welcome throwback to the sort of over-the-top actioners that were prevalent twenty years ago.
Prairie Miller, Long Island Press
Adds a uniquely repugnant concept to the notion of dysfunctional, in what seems like a warped underlying fraternal creed of, a family that preys together stays together.
Prairie Miller, Long Island Press
Adds a uniquely repugnant concept to the notion of dysfunctional, in what seems like a warped underlying fraternal creed of, a family that preys together stays together.
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion
A healty mixture of action, humor and sentiment...one of the most sheerly enjoyable popcorn movies of the summer.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Albert K

What the hell was this? I really wanted to like this movie. In fact, gangster revenge flicks (though overly done) is my kind of movie. This seems great! ...Hell naw. First of all, the screenplay tries extremely hard to bring upon the audience that these four brothers have a deep… More
What the hell was this? I really wanted to like this movie. In fact, gangster revenge flicks (though overly done) is my kind of movie. This seems great! ...Hell naw. First of all, the screenplay tries extremely hard to bring upon the audience that these four brothers have a deep chemistry between each other but frankly, the screenplay and the acting does not follow through. A lot of the scenes where they are trading lines back to back is cringe-worthy. There is absolutely no chemistry. I've also gotta say Chiwetel Ejiofor cannot pull a Denzel Washington. Is he really trying to be like him from "Training Day"? Y'all would know what I mean if you guys watch one of the last scenes in "Four Brothers". Skip this movie. Action scenes suck. And there's also a car chase scene with one of the WORST looking CGI snow I've ever seen.
Jeff "

I felt that Four Brothers was nothing new in terms of a good action revenge film. The story itself has already been told a dozen times before, and this film is pure clichés in that respect. What's really a downer with this film is that the film starts off with a bang, but then it… More
I felt that Four Brothers was nothing new in terms of a good action revenge film. The story itself has already been told a dozen times before, and this film is pure clichés in that respect. What's really a downer with this film is that the film starts off with a bang, but then it treads similar territory as most revenge flicks, and doesn't try anything exciting to thrill the viewer. Instead you have a predictable story, of which the viewer knows the outcome right off the bat. The films builds is contrived, instead of naturally progressing the story to give the viewer a sense of intrigue, mystery and above all keep him interested in the film. I found myself being bored watching this film, and couldn't wait for the film to be over. Another point that really annoyed me was the overacting on the part of its actors. None of them delivered a good performance, and Four Brothers ended up being a boring, predictable film that had no redeeming elements to make the film watchable. I felt that Four Brothers was a missed opportunity, and maybe if it had a better cast and script; this film could have been better. Instead this film fails at delivering a really good revenge film, and it fails at being too predictable, even by revenge film standards. The ideas used here, have already been done before, and there is absolutely nothing interesting or appealing in this film. If you want a terrific action revenge film, you won't find it here. Four Brothers is a film to avoid.
Eric A

4 brothers doing whatever it takes to have eachother's backs. It's okay, asi asi.
Bethany M

Really enjoyed this film. Very poignant and Mark Wahlberg was outstanding.
Stuart B

Good film. Lots of violence and some humour too. Decent cast and even Marky mark is not too wooden in this.
Dead A

I liked the story and the bonding between those brothers but it gets boring sometimes.
Lenny M

I watched this on TV so I probably saw a completely different movie. Not bad, over the top, acting so so. Mark Wahlberg plays the tough guy, Andre 3000 really forcing the acting career, I don't know what Tyrese is up to, and the antagonist is pretty much Denzel… More
I watched this on TV so I probably saw a completely different movie. Not bad, over the top, acting so so. Mark Wahlberg plays the tough guy, Andre 3000 really forcing the acting career, I don't know what Tyrese is up to, and the antagonist is pretty much Denzel Washington's character in Training Day.
Al S

Spectacular action entertainment. A powerful film. A great movie. Fast-paced, thrilling, frequently funny, gripping and emotional. It's pulse-pounding, compelling and electrifying. The chemistry of the four actors is terrific. Mark Wahlberg, Tyreese Gibson, Andre Benjamin and… More
Spectacular action entertainment. A powerful film. A great movie. Fast-paced, thrilling, frequently funny, gripping and emotional. It's pulse-pounding, compelling and electrifying. The chemistry of the four actors is terrific. Mark Wahlberg, Tyreese Gibson, Andre Benjamin and Garret Hedlund all turn in powerhouse performances right from the heart. A total knockout. It's a hard hitting action-packed thriller. It's raw emotion, riveting drama, wicked humor and explosive action put into one great film that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Director, John Singleton's best film since Boy's 'N the Hood. A full-throttle adrenaline-rush.
Conner R

Not a great movie, but it was extremely entertaining and chalk full of action. The cast worked well together and you could definitely see the bond between them. It was a little predictable and sappy, but still had a lot to like. John Singleton has definitely improved his style over… More
Not a great movie, but it was extremely entertaining and chalk full of action. The cast worked well together and you could definitely see the bond between them. It was a little predictable and sappy, but still had a lot to like. John Singleton has definitely improved his style over the last few years and it was nice to see that.
xGary X

A saintly old lady is executed during a liquor store hold up and her four foster sons reunite to hunt down her killers. Four Brothers is exactly the kind of braindead action thriller that holds extreme violence up as the answer to all of life's problems as we follow Marky Mark… More
A saintly old lady is executed during a liquor store hold up and her four foster sons reunite to hunt down her killers. Four Brothers is exactly the kind of braindead action thriller that holds extreme violence up as the answer to all of life's problems as we follow Marky Mark and co on their rampage through the streets of Detroit using nothing but their wits. And thuggery, torture and huge quantities of lead, of course. There is no character development, little meaningful dialogue and the testosterone fuelled mix of male bonding and dodgy sentimentality (the thanksgiving scene is one of the most cringeworthy things I have ever seen) belies quite a staggering lack of subtlety or sophistication, even by Hollywood action movie standards. Singleton throws in enough well handled action scenes to stave of boredom, but in the end it's just another meat-headed American Idiot pleaser.
Dan S

Really didn't like this movie. Does nothing but encourage gangsterism in modern America, when it seems its overall goal is to dissuade people from becoming entangled in it. Stupid revenge plot is only further accelerated by one laughable actor in Tyrese Gibson, who continues to… More
Really didn't like this movie. Does nothing but encourage gangsterism in modern America, when it seems its overall goal is to dissuade people from becoming entangled in it. Stupid revenge plot is only further accelerated by one laughable actor in Tyrese Gibson, who continues to get acting jobs despite giving no signs of promise. Wahlberg gives a monstrous performance, sadly it's to no avail.
Coxxie M

i like how 1 black brother died and 1 white brother died. they had to keep everybody happy right?
Lady D

A very average revenge story, watchable, but nothing special.
Tim S

Thank you John Singleton. This was a nice and tight drama.
Robert C

I'm sure this is "Masterpiece Theater" for some people, but for me...it was all I could do to sit through this cliche riddled mess of a film. I can normally sit through justa bout anything. It was as if it couldn't decide on what it wanted to be... Parts of… More
I'm sure this is "Masterpiece Theater" for some people, but for me...it was all I could do to sit through this cliche riddled mess of a film. I can normally sit through justa bout anything. It was as if it couldn't decide on what it wanted to be... Parts of it felt almost like a 1970's "blackploitation" film, but without any of "coolness" or the "soul". Parts of it felt like a 1970's "After School Special", full of (almost nauseatingly) saccharine moments, but without any of the "kitsch" that made those things bearable. I think Singleton did his best, with what he had (it's the action scenes that got it the star and a half)...but most of the writing was just SO bad. There is only so much a Director can do. On a positive note, I didn't have to waste any money or valuable Netflix time on this. A friend of ours (who LOVES this film) let us borrow it. It was returned without discussion. Now if only I could find a way to get the 109 minutes of my life back that were wasted on viewing this film.
Tim S

Singleton should just go teach somewhere.
Film C

excellent very funny interesting moving and exciting action pack film excellent
Lorenzo v

I've always loved revenge movies, and this one fits the bill because it has four brothers trying to find out the truth of their mother's murder. The four brothers are all superb in their roles, as adopted brothers from foster care that went their separate ways, who come home… More
I've always loved revenge movies, and this one fits the bill because it has four brothers trying to find out the truth of their mother's murder. The four brothers are all superb in their roles, as adopted brothers from foster care that went their separate ways, who come home to find out who killed their mother and why. Also superb is Terrence Howard as a Detroit cop who doesn't trust his own who is desperately trying to find out what happened himself. The plot is well executed through twists and turns. Mark Wahlberg just gets better and better. He was great in "Shooter" and also here.
Aaron N

Angel: Think he's dead? Bobby: No, he ain't dead. He's just fucked up. Let's go talk to him now. An old, respected woman is murdered in Detroit, and her four adopted sons come in to town to find out why. This is basically a modern day western, in which some… More
Angel: Think he's dead? Bobby: No, he ain't dead. He's just fucked up. Let's go talk to him now. An old, respected woman is murdered in Detroit, and her four adopted sons come in to town to find out why. This is basically a modern day western, in which some outlaws come back into town to right some wrongs. The story is very simple, but the four leads make this movie work very well. There is a very good cast here that includes Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin, and Garrett Hedlund as the brothers. Also starring Terrence Howard, Taraji Henson, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. All of these people add to a simple action film. Director John Singleton makes this film work even better by adding a strictly Motown soundtrack, a great sense of chemistry between the brothers, and a nice winterly setting to show off Detroit. This is an action flick that is a lot of fun to watch, with some great brotherly love to go with getting revenge on their mom's murder. Camille Mercer: Bobby! You told me you weren't gonna let him get hurt! Bobby: He's breathing, isn't he.
Bobby H

This movie is pretty sweet. It's super badassed, gangster like. The one thing that made me from completley just loving it, was it's lack of reality. Dont get me wrong, it COULD happen, but - they seem too have made Mark Wahlberg just a little too invinceable in this movie,… More
This movie is pretty sweet. It's super badassed, gangster like. The one thing that made me from completley just loving it, was it's lack of reality. Dont get me wrong, it COULD happen, but - they seem too have made Mark Wahlberg just a little too invinceable in this movie, as far as I thought. But other then that, great movie!